UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 


Class  Book  Volume 

S5~[  2. 


Je  07-1 OM 


GEOLOGY 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY 


BULLETIN  NO.  2. 


A Preliminary  Report  on  the  Peat 
Resources  of  Iowa 


AND 


A Report  on  the  Tests  of  Iowa  Coals 
Made  by  the  Government  Coal-Testing 
Plant  at  the  Louisiana  Purchase 
Exposition,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  1904 


FRANK  A.  WILDER.  PH.  D.f  STATE  GEOLOGIST. 
T.  E.  SAVAGE,  ASSISTANT  STATE  GEOLOGIST. 


DES  MOINES 

Published  for  Iowa  Geological  Survey 
1905 


IOWA 


ICAL  SU 

BULLETIN  NO.  2. 


A Preliminary  Report  on  the  Peat 
Resources  of  Iowa 

AND 


RVEY 


A Report  on  the  Tests  of  Iowa  Coals 
Made  by  the  Government  Coal-Testing 
Plant  at  the  Louisiana  Purchase 
Exposition,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  1904 


FRANK  A,  WILDER.  PH.  D.,  STATE  GEOLOGIST. 
T.  E. .SAVAGE,  ASSISTANT  STATE  GEOLOGIST. 


DES'  MOINES 

Published  for  Iowa  Geological  Survey 
1905 


SS-] 

Xo  3 2.  t> 


A Preliminary  Report  on  the  Peat 
Resources  of  Iowa 


AND 


A Report  on  the  Tests  of  Iowa  Coals  Made 
by  the  Government  Coal -Testing 
Plant  at  the  Louisiana  Purchase 
Exposition,  St.  Louis,  Mo., 

1904 


BY 


T.  E.  SAVAGE. 


CONTENTS. 


A Preliminary  Report  on  the  Peat  Resources  of  Iowa. 

Introduction 5 

Composition  of  peat 6 

Comparative  table  of  analyses 6 

Conditions  of  peat  accumulation 6 

Manner  of  accumulation  of  Iowa  peat  beds 7 

Distribution  of  peat  marshes  in  Iowa 8 

Location  and  description  of  individual  marshes 9 

Peat  deposits  in  Worth  county 9 

Fertile  township  area 9 

Northwood  area 9 

Norman  area . 10 

Peat  in  Winnebago  county 10 

Scarville  area 10 

Lake  Mills  area 10 

Forest  City  area 11 

Thompson  area 11 

Marshes  in  Hancock  county 11 

Kanawha  area. 11 

Duncan  area.. 11 

Miller  area 12 

Peat  deposits  in  Cerro  Gordo  county 12 

Clear  Lake  area 12 

Meservey  area 13 

Peat  areas  in  Wright  county 13 

Clarion  area 13 

Dows  area 13 

Marshes  of  Franklin  county 13 

Peat  deposits  in  Emmet  county , 13 

Armstrong  area 13 

Marshes  in  Palo  Alto  and  Clay  counties 14 

General  statement. 14 

Uses  of  peat 14 

Peat  as  a fuel IS 

Table  showing  calorific  power  of  peat  and  other  fuels 15 

Preparation  of  peat  fuel . .16 

Cut  peat 16 

Machine  peat 16 

Cost  of  mills 17 

Peat  briquettes 18 

Cost  of  plants  18 

Special  apparatus  for  burning  peat l9 

Peat  as  a source  of  producer-gas 19 


Zl) 

Cost  of  peat  gas  plant * * * ' ’ ‘ * ‘ ' ’ 20 

The  peat  industry  in  Iowa 2C 

P testing  Plant  at  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition,  St.  > 

Mo.,  

Preliminary  statement ; * * 2 

Securing  the  samples 25 

Chemicaf  analysS'and  calorimeter  determinations  o£  the 

tested 2^ 

Methods  of  analysis ’ ' 2 

Table  of  analyses 2{* 

Washing  tests ” * 3j 

Coking  tests 1 " 7 * ' ‘ 7 . . . . . 35 

Table  showing  results  of  coking  tes  ^ 

Briquetting  tests 3^ 

Steam  tests  3 

Table  of  results  of  steam  tests ^ 


! 

I 

I 


A PRELIMINARY  REPORT  , 0t‘-THE  PEAT 
RESOURCES  OE  IOWA. 

BY 

T.  E.  SAVAGE. 


INTRODUCTION. 

For  several  years  it  has  been  known  that  considerable  quantities  of 
peat  existed  in  the  marshes  of  northern  Iowa.  As  early  as  1867  Dr. 
Charles  A.  White  made  some  observations  on  these  deposits  and  called 
attention  to  their  importance.* 

In  the  present  series  of  Geological  reports  the.  presence  of  peat  is 
noted  in  a few  counties,  but  no  attempt  was  made  tO'  determine  the  ex- 
tent or  the  quality  of  such  beds. 

In  recent  years  the  increase  in  the  cost  o'f  fuel  and,  especially,  the 
improvement  in  the  methods  and  the  machinery  by  which  peat  is  pre- 
pared and  utilized,  have  so  stimulated  the  development  of  the  peat  in- 
dustry that  such  deposits  promise  to  become  important  sources  of  heat, 
light  and  power. 

For  some  time  the  Director  of  the  Iowa  Geological  Survey  has  been 
planning  a systematic  study  of  the  peat  deposits  of  the  state,  but  until 
recently  this  has  been  deferred  owing  to  the  pressure  of  other  lines  of 
work  that  seemed  to  be  more  imperative.  However,  the  investigation 
was  taken  up  during  the  summer  of  1905,  and  the  field  work  was 
assigned  to  Mr.  L.  H.  Wood,  under  the  supervision  and  with  the 
assistance  of  the  State  Geologist. 

A thorough  examination  of  the  individual  marshes  was  undertaken 
to  locate  those  that  were  productive,  to  learn  the  extent  and  the  depth 
and  the  quality  of  the  peat  which  they  contain,  and  to  collect  samples 
from  the  several  deposits  from  which  analyses  and  tests  could  be  made. 

The  marshes  of  the  state  proved  to  be  richer  in  vegetable  deposits 
than  was  anticipated.  In  view  of  the  large  quantity  of  peat  that  was 
located,  and  because  of  the  growing  importance  of  this  industry,  it  was 
thought  desirable  to  publish  a general  report  on  the  peat  resources  of 
the  state  in  the  form  of  a bulletin,  preliminary  to  the  more  com- 
plete report  which  will  embody  the  results  of  the  analyses  and  tests 
that  are  yet  to  be  made. 

The  data  relative  to  the  distribution,  location  and  description  of 
the  peat-bearing  marshes  are  taken  from  notes  made  by  Mr.  Wood. 
Many  of  the  facts  relating  to  the  manufacture  of  peat  fuel,  and 
cost  of  machinery  were  obtained  from  a paper  by  W.  E.  H.  Carter  in 
the  Twelfth  Report  of  the  Ontario  Bureau  of  Mines,  and  from  Special 
Consular  Reports,  Volume  XXVI,  which  treats  of  Briquettes  as  Fuel  in 
Foreign  Countries. 

*White:  1st  and  2nd  Annual  Reports  of  Progress,  pp.  121-135.  1868. 

See  also,  Geol.  of  Iowa,  Vol.  2,  pp.  275-288.  1870. 


6 


PEAT  RESOURCES  OF  IOWA. 


OPPOSITION  OF  PEAT. 

Peat  represen ts.the.  ’parly  stages  in  the  carbonization  of  vegetable 
matter,  just  as  coal  is  the  product  of  a more  advanced  stage  of  this 
same  process.  It  is  composed  of  plant  tissues  that  have  undergone  more 
or  less  decomposition  and  chemical  alteration.  It  varies  'from  a yellow- 
ish or  brown,  fibrous  substance  in  which  the  leaves  and  tissues  of 
the  plants  are  quite  perfectly  preserved,  through  different  stages  of 
decay  and  maceration,  to  a dark  colored,  mucky  material  in  which  little 
of  the  original  structure  can  be  recognized. 

There  is  always  present  in  the  peat  a variable  amount  of  mineral 
matter.  This  material  may  represent  the  ash  or  mineral  constituents  of 
the  plants  from  which  the  peat  was  formed,  or  it  may  consist  in  large 
part  of  foreign  matter  derived  from  the  silt  borne  by  winds  or  from 
sediments  carried  by  water. 

In  the  natural  state  peat  always  contains  a high  percentage  of 
moisture  which  is  with  difficulty  removed  by  drying. 

In  Iowa  marshes  a large  proportion  of  the  vegetable  matter  is  in  a 
more  or  less  fibrous  condition.  It  is  in  part  composed  of  the  remains 
of  aquatic  species  of  mosses  belonging  to  the  genus  Hypnum,  but  in  most 
of  the  bogs  the  leaves  and  stems  of  rushes,  sedges  and  other  groups  of 
water-loving  plants  have  contributed  the  larger  share. 

The  following  analyses  will  show  the  composition  of  samples  of 
Sphagnum  moss,  oak  wood,  New  Jersey  peat  and  Illinois  coal.  The 
table  also  shows  the  gradual  increase  in  the  percentage  of  carbon 
that  takes  place  in  the  changing  of  the  vegetable  matter  to  peat,  and 
in  its  further  alteration  to  bituminous  coal. 

Comparative  7 able  Of  Analyses 


Material  Carbon  Hydrogen  Oxygen  Nitrogen 

per  cent,  per  cent.  per  cent.  per  cent. 

♦Sphagnum  moss  49.88  6.54  42.42  1.16 

♦Oak  wood  50.60  6.00  42.10  1.30 

♦New  Jersey  peat 58.00  6.36  31.85  1.14 

flllinois  coal  65.48  5.09  15.04  1.39 


The  close  similarity  between  the  composition  of  Sphagnum  moss  and 
oak  wood  will  appear  from  the  table,  and  the  decrease  in  the  propor- 
tion of  oxygen  as  that  of  the  carbon  content  increases  will  also  be 
observed.  The  best  grades  of  peat  contain  io  to<  12  per  cent  more  of 
carbon  and  io  to  12  per  cent  less  of  oxygen  than  the  vegetable  matter 
from  which  it  was  formed., 

CONDITIONS  OF  PEAT  ACCUMULATION. 

In  order  that  vegetable  matter  may  be  preserved  in  the  form  of 
peat  the  material  must  accumulate  under  water  where  it  will  undergo 
imperfect  decomposition  without  free  access  of  air.  When  plants  decay 
on  the  surface  of  the  ground  the  tissues  are  soon  broken  down  into  the 

♦Riea : 21st  Report  of  the  State  Geologist  of  New  York,  pp.  68  and  61,  1801. 
tSee  this  bulletin,  p.  28. 


CONDITIONS  OF  PEAT  ACCUMULATION. 


7 


simple  compounds  out  of  which  the  vegetable  structures  were  built,  and 
the  materials  are  returned  to  the  air  in  the  form  of  carbonic  acid  gas, 
water  and  ammonia.  The  humus  of  the  soils  and  the  leaf  mould  of  the 
forests  represent  the  products  of  incomplete  oxidation  or  decay  of  organic 
matter  on  the  surface  of  prairie  and  woodland. 

Under  water,  where  the  supply  of  oxygen  is  limited,  decomposition  of 
vegetable  matter  is  much  less  rapid  and  complete.  In  the  water  contain- 
ing such  matter  there  are  also  present  soluble  acids  whose  antiseptic  prop- 
erties serve  further  to  hinder  the  process  of  plant  decay.  Under  these 
circumstances  small  quantities  of  carbonic  acid  gas,  marsh  gas  and  nitro- 
gen are  slowly  liberated,  but  there  are  left  much  of  the  hydrogen  and 
the  greater  portion  of  the  carbon.  The  further  such  decomposition 
proceeds  the  higher  is  the  proportion  of  carbon  that  remains,  as  is  shown 
in  the  foregoing  table. 

. Conditions  favorable  for  the  accumulation  of  peat  are  usually  pres- 
ent in  swamps  or  marshes  or  around  the  margins  of  small  lakes  or 
ponds.  In  such  places  the  vegetation  is  usually  luxuriant,  and  as  the 
successive  generations  of  plants  die  their  stems  and  leaves  fall  in  the 
water  and  are  there  protected  from  complete  decay. 

MANNER  OF  ACCUMULATION  OF  IOWA  PEAT  BEDS. 

\ 

When  the  glaciers  melted  from  our  state  they  left  a comparatively 
level  surface  which  was  broken  by  numerous  minor  inequalities.  De- 
pressions of  varying  extent  and  depth  dotted  the  prairies,  and  were 
especially  abundant  over  a belt  near  the  margin  of  the  respective  ice 
sheets  known  as  the  terminal  moraine.  Such  basins  became  filled  with 
water  and  formed  lakes  and  marshes  which  are  still  conspicuous  topo- 
graphic features  of  northern  Iowa.  Such  bodies  of  water  are  quite  free 
from  sediments,  and  furnish  congenial  conditions  for  the  growth  of  a 
large  variety  of  plants. 

Marsh-loving  forms  soon  established  themselves  around  the  shallow 
margins  of  these  pools,  and  lowly  algae  flourished  in  the  deeper  water. 
Aquatic  mosses  spread  widely  over  the  surface  in  tangled  mats  and 
long,  floating  strands.  As  the  growth  of  each  year  was  completed  the 
dying  leaves  and  stems  and  filaments  fell  to  the  bottom  and  were  em- 
balmed together  by  the  water  of  the  bogs.  As  the  seasons  of  the  cen- 
turies came  and  went  the  water  was  constantly  shallowed  and  the 
borders  of  the  basins  were  constantly  narrowed  by  the  accumulation  of 
plant  remains.  The  grasses  and  sedges  kept  crowding  each  other 
further  out  from  the  shore,  the  amphibious  rushes  pushed  out  further 
still,  while  among  and  beyond  these  the  water-loving  mosses  reached 
constantly  toward  the  center.  As  the  deposit  deepened  the  alteration 
of  the  materials  continued  and  the  vegetable  matter  became  more  and 
more  compacted  into  peat. 

The  rate  of  accumulation  of  these  deposits  depends  largely  upon 
the  character  of  the  vegetation  which  the  marsh  supported.  Where  the 
plants  consisted  chiefly  of  species  of  mosses  the  increase  was  made  very 
slowly,  but  where  the  deposit  is  made  up  of  the  remains  of  coarser 


8 


PEAT  RESOURCES  OF  IOWA. 


plants,  the  accumulation  grew  more  rapidly.  The  stage  of  filling  at 
present  attained  in  the  lakes  of  our  state  depends  also  upon  the  size 
of  the  lake  and  the  original  depth  of  the  basin. 

In  north-central  Iowa,  lake  filling  by  the  accumulation  of  vegetable 
debris  has  been  in  progress  ever  since  the  retreat  of  the  Wisconsin 
glacier.  At  the  present  time  the  history  of  many  of  the  smaller  lakes 
and  marshes  has  been  completely  closed ; areas  of  swamp  soil  being 
the  only  witnesses  to  the  former  existence  of  water,  and  the  only  in- 
dication of  underlying  deposits  of  peat. 

In  other  lakes  the  filling  is  but  partially  completed,  and  they  exist 
today  as  broad,  shallow  marshes  overgrown  with  moss  and  rush  and 
sedge,  whose  stems  and  leaves  still  contribute  an  annual  increment  to 
the  vegetable  accumulation  on  the  bottom. 

In  the  larger  and  deeper  lakes,  where  wave  action  was  stronger, 
there  are  no  deposits  of  vegetable  matter  or  but  a discontinuous  fringe 
which  represents  the  initial  deposit  of  a future  bed  of  peat. 

DISTRIBUTION  OF  PEAT  MARSHES  IN  IOWA. 

The  peat  deposits  of  Iowa  occur  in  the  north-central  portion,  over 
the  area  that  was  covered  by  the  Wisconsin  ice  sheet.  They  are  espe- 
cially well  developed  in  a belt  eight  to  twelve  miles  in  width  around 
the  margin  of  this  area,  among  the  ridges  of  the  moraine.  In  such  situ- 
ations the  water  level  of  the  lakes  is  held  higher  and  more  constant 
than  over  the  level  lands.  The  basins  also  are  deeper,  thus  pre- 
venting a large  proportion  of  mud  being  mixed  with  the  vegetable 
material  through  the  borings  of  crayfish.  The  gentle  slopes  that  border 
the  depressions  were  until  recently  covered  with  forests  which  pro- 
tected the  growing  deposits  from  contamination  by  silt  or  sediments 
from  wind  or  water.  For  these  reasons  the  morainic  basins  generally 
contain  deeper  and  purer  deposits  of  vegetable  matter  than  are  found  in 
the  marshes  over  the  prairies. 

The  greater  number  of  good  bogs  occur  among  the  hills  of  the 
Altamont  moraine,  on  the  eastern  border  of  the  Wisconsin  drift  plain. 
They  cover  areas  of  varying  extent  in  the  west  half  of  Worth,  Cerro 
Gordo  and  Franklin  counties  and  the  eastern  portions  of  Wright,  Han- 
cock and  Winnebago.  Between  this  eastern  belt  and  the  west  side  of 
the  Wisconsin  drift  area  there  are  occasional  marshes  that  contain  con- 
siderable peat.  The  largest  of  these  occur  in  the  counties  of  Emmet, 
Palo  Alto  and  Clay,  while  smaller  areas  are  found  in  Dickinson,  Kos- 
suth, Green  and  Calhoun  counties. 

The  quantity  of  peat  in  the  Iowa  marshes,  distributed  by  counties, 
can  be  computed  by  multiplying  the  number  of  acres  of  peat-bearing 
marsh  land  in  each  county  by  the  average  depth  of  the  peat  in  yards,  on 
the  assumption  that  one  acre  of  peat,  three  feet  in  depth,  would  produce 
1,000  tons  of  dried  fuel. 

On  this  basis  Worth  county  should  yield  in  round  numbers  6,000,000 
tons  of  dry  peat  fuel;  Winnebago  county  8,000,000  tons;  Hancock 
county  3;000,000  tons;  Cerro  Gordo  county  10,000,000  tons;  Wright 


UNIVERSi. ; 


* y y 


OUTLINE  MAP 
OF  THE  DRIFT  SHEETS 
OF  IOWA 

1905 

LOCATION  OF  MARSHES 
CONTAINING  DEPOSITS 
OF  PEAT  INDICATED 
BYSMALLCROSSES 


LEGEND 

WISCONSIN  DRIFT 
IOWAN  DRIFT  I 
ILUNOIAN  DRIFT 
KANSAS  DRIFT 

^OVERLAIN  with  L OE  $5  ) 


MARSHES  CONTAINING  PEAT  + 


"»'V£«sw“m;mis 


LOCATION  AND  DESCRIPTION  OF  INDIVIDUAL  MARSHES.  9 

county  1,000,000  tons;  Franklin  county  1,500,000  tons;  Emmlt  county 
2,000,000  tons  and  Clay  and  Palo  Alto  counties  4,000,000  tons. 

If  we  would  be  very  conservative  and  estimate  the  yield  of  peat  per 
acre,  three  feet  in  depth,  at  only  600  tons*. of  dried  fuel,  we  would  still 
have  about  22,000,000  tons  of  such  fuel  located  in  northern  Iowa. 

The  distribution  of  the  marshes,  and  their  relation  to  the  border  of 
the  Wisconsin  drift  sheet  are  shown  on  the  accompanying  map. 

LOCATION  AND  DESCRIPTION  OF  INDIVIDUAL  MARSHES.f 

PEAT  DEPOSITS  IN  WORTH  COUNTY. 

The  peat-bearing  marshes  of  Worth  county  occur  in  the  townships 
of  Fertile,  Bristol,  Silver  Lake  and  Hartland. 

Fertile  township  area . — About  two  miles  west  of  Hanlontown,  in 
the  southern  portion  of  Fertile  township,  is  a large  marsh  known  as 
Goose  lake.  It  lies  partially  in  sections  21,  22,  26,  27  and  28,  and 
covers  an  area  of  from  600  to  800  acres.  Two  test  borings  at  widely 
separated  points  showed  a depth  of  12  and  13  feet,  respectively,  of 
clean,  fibrous,  fairly  dry  vegetable  matter. 

Near  the  west  side  of  this  same  township  a marsh,  150  to  180 
acres  in  extent,  covers  portions  of  sections  18,  19  and  30.  A boring 
near  the  middle  of  section  19  showed  a depth  of  8 feet  of  peat. 

In  the  northeast  corner  of  Fertile  township,  and  extending  across 
section  7 of  Danville,  is  a broad  slough  that  embraces  160  to  200 
acres,  and  contains  a depth  of  13  feet  of  clean,  solid  peaty  material. 

The  above  marshes  and  others  of  smaller  extent,  make  Fertile 
township  a rich  center  for  peat.  They  could  all  be  worked  from 
Hanlontown,  the  nearest  railroad  station  from  which  the  most  distant 
bog  is  about  five  miles. 

Rice  lake,  in  Bristol  township,  is  bordered  with  vegetable  deposits 
some  of  which  are  very  deep.  At  the  east  end  there  is  an  area  of  200 
acres  in  which  the  deposit  tested  12  feet  in  depth.  An  arm  of  this  lake 
covering  several  hundred  acres  extends  towards  the  southwest  into 
Winnebago  county. 

Two  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Joice  a marsh  covering  50  acres  tested 
7 feet  of  solid  peat,  and  another  good  deposit  lies  nearer  to  the  town. 

The  larger  marshes  of  Bristol  township  are  convenient  to  the 
Lake  Mills  area,  in  Winnebago  county. 

Northwood  area. — In  Hartland  township  a narrow  slough  extends 
for  three  miles  along  a creek  in  sections  33,  34  and  36.  This  area 
embraces  more  than  200  acres  and  tested  9 feet  in  depth.  Along 
Goose  creek,  in  sections  13,  14  and  15,  a marsh  nearly  as  large  as  the 
last  tested  3 to  10  feet  of  vegetable  material.  This  deposit  is  some- 
what scattered  along  the  creek  but  might  become  valuable  if  worked 

♦Trans.  Am.  Inst,  of  Mining  Engineers,  Vol.  XXXV.  p.  101.  1905. 

t A sufficient  number  of  borings  to  determine  the  average  depth  of  the  vegetable  ma- 
terial in  the  different  marshes  could  not  well  be  made  However,  the  figures  given 
represent  actual  measurements  taken,  and  it  is  believed  that  they  will  be  a fairly  reliable 
guide  with  regard  to  the  relative  thickness  of  the  peat  deposits  in  the  several  marshes. 


10 


PEAT  RESOURCES  OF  IOWA. 


in  connection  with  the  very  large  area  around  Grass  lake,  a short  dis- 
tance north  of  the  state  line. 

Norman  area. — A large  quantity  of  peat  covers  the  bed  and  fringes 
the  border  of  Bright  lake,  within  one  mile  of  the  town  of  Norman.  A 
small  marsh  in  section  36  of  this  township  also  contains  a good  depth 
of  peat.  A boring  in  the  marsh  at  the  east  end  of  Silver  lake  passed 
through  13  feet  of  vegetable  debris. 

PEAT  IN  WINNEBAGO  COUNTY. 

I 

One  and  one-half  miles  southwest  of  Norman,  a grass-grown 
slough,  covering  between  200  and  250  acres  in  section  14  of  Norway 
township,  tested  5 feet  of  dense,  brown  colored  peat. 

Scarville  area. — A marsh  about  one  mile  southwest  of  Scarville 
covers  nearly  200  acres  in  section  22  and  23  of  Logan  township,  and 
contains  peat  7 feet  in  depth.  South  of  Harmon  lake,  in  section  21,  a 
small  marsh  covers  50  acres,  and  at  the  north  end  of  the  lake,  in  sections 
20  and  21,  is  another  nearly  equal  in  size.  Both  of  these  contain  a good 
depth  of  vegetable  debris. 

Two  miles  southeast  of  Scarville  a swampy  area  lying  north  of  the 
railroad  includes  portions  of  sections  20,  21,  27  and  28  in  Norway 
township.  This  marsh  is  not  uniform  in  depth,  but  borings  in  section 
28  showed  a depth  of  6 to  15  feet  of  peaty  matter. 

Lake  Mills  area. — The  thriving  town  of  Lake  Mills,  in  Center 
township,  is  fortunately  located  for  the  production  of  peat.  Swamps 
aggregating  800  to  1,000  acres  surround  the  town  at  a distance  of  from 
one  to  three  miles,  and  two  lines  of  railroad  afford  good  facilities  for 
distributing  the  product. 

In  section  34  and  35  of  Norway  township,  a marsh  covers  200 
acres  and  tested  10  feet  of  peat.  A bog  of  100  acres,  in  section  1 of 
Center  township,  extends  east  into  Worth  county,  and  tested  13  feet  of 
accumulated  vegetable  matter.  Marshes  in  sections  3 and  4,  about  one 
mile  west  of  town,  aggregate  nearly  300  acres  and  showed  peat  to  a 
depth  of  8 to  15  feet. 

A filled  lake  basin  extends  from  the  south  end  of  lake  Greeley  to 
the  west  end  of  Rice  lake.  A few  wooded  islands  occur  over  this  marsh 
but  the  greater  portion  of  the  area  is  covered  with  a deposit  of  peat 
which,  near  the  east  end,  tested  13  feet  in  depth.  A marsh  that  lies 
across  section  26  of  Center  township,  in  a northeast-southwest  direc- 
tion, represents  the  northeastward  extension  of  Walnut  lake.  Near 
the  middle  of  this  swamp  a boring  passed  through  a depth  of  13  feet 
of  peat.  Southeast  of  Walnut  lake  a marsh  extends  for  two  miles, 
invading  the  northeast  corner  of  Mount  Valley  township.  In  section  1 
of  the  latter  township,  a marsh  covering  40  acres  showed  a maximum 
depth  of  10  feet  of  vegetable  matter. 

Another  swamp,  embracing  nearly  80  acres,  covers  a portion  of 
sections  2 and  3 of  the  latter  township  and  of  section  34  of  Center. 
This  area  tested  9 feet  of  peat.  All  of  the  marshes  of  Center  township 
and  those  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Mount  Valley  belong  naturally 


LOCATION  AND  DESCRIPTION  OF  INDIVIDUAL  MARSHES.  11 


to  the  Lake  Mills  area.  In  the  process  of  excavating  the.  peat  a water- 
way could,  with  little  expense,  be  opened  to  the  northward  from  the 
latter  marshes  above  described  through  those  between  Walnut  lake  and 
Rice  lake  and  on  through  the  bogs  connecting  Rice  lake  with  lake 
Greeley.  Through  such  a channel  the  peat  from  several  hundred  acres 
of  swamp  land  could  be  brought  to  Lake  Mills  by  water  and  there  pre- 
pared for  shipment. 

Forest  City  area. — About  five  and  one-half  miles  northeast  of  Forest 
City,  a marsh  covers  nearly  200  acres  in  sections  16  and  17  of  Mount 
Valley  township.  A boring  towards  the  north  side  of  this  marsh 
showed  10  feet  of  clean,  solid  vegetable:  material.  Other  marshes,  to- 
gether covering  more  than  100  acres,  in  sections  28  and  33  of  this 
township,  showed  a depth  of  13  feet  of  plant  debris.  This  latter  area 
consists  of  narrow  bogs  separated  by  north  and  south  ridges  of  morainic 
material.  The  peat  seems  to  be  very  pure  and  the  bogs  are  fairly  dry. 

Near  the  south  side  of  section  32,  Forest  township,  a marsh  covers 
more  than  100  acres  and  contains  a depth  of  3 to  4 feet  of  vegetable 
matter.  There  are  other  scattered  bogs  of  small  extent  in  this  portion 
of  the  county. 

Among  the  hills  in  sections  24  and  25  of  Mount  Valley  township 
there  is  an  irregular  basin  over  which  marshes  cover  an  aggregate  of 
100  acres,  and  show  a depth  of  6 to  15  feet  of  peaty  matter.  This  latter 
area  would  be  most  successfully  worked  in  connection  with  the  Goose 
lake  marsh  in  Worth  county. 

Thompson  area. — A series  of  small  swamps,  separated  by  wooded 
ridges,  occur  in  sections  1 and  12  of  King  township  and  sections  7,  8 
and  17  of  Newton.  Together  these  cover  more  than  300  acres,  and 
show  a depth  of  4 to  10  feet  of  peat  which  is  dry,  firm  and  very 
pure. 

MARSHES  IN  HANCOCK  COUNTY. 

Many  of  the  larger  marshes  of  the  county  occur  over  level  prairies 
and  contain  but  shallow  deposits  of  impure  peat. 

Kanawha  area. — Two  miles  northeast  of  Kanawha  a large  marsh 
covers  160  acres,  in  sections  22  and  23  of  Amsterdam  township.  Borings 
over  this  area  showed  3 to  4 feet  of  vegetable  matter,  while  a well 
towards  the  north  edge  of  the  marsh  is  reported  to  have  passed  through 
8 feet  of  peat. 

A short  distance  south  of  East  Twin  lake  a cat-tail  slough  covers  a 
portion  of  section  29  and  crosses  section  32  of  Twin  Lake  township. 
Tests  near  the  margin  indicated  a depth  of  3 to  5 feet  of  peaty  matter. 
Much  of  this  swamp  is  very  wet,  but  the  water  could  be  drawn  off 
to  the  eastward  through  the  west  branch  of  Iowa  river  into  which 
stream  the  area  has  already  been  partially  drained. 

Duncan  area. — About  one  mile  southeast  of  the  town  of  Duncan  a 
large  marsh  of  600  acres  covers  a portion  of  section  33  of  Garfield 
township  and  of  sections  4 and  9 of  German.  A ditch  through  this 
swamp  drains  the  water  to  the  southward.  In  the  sides  of  this  ditch 
good,  clean  peat  is  exposed  to  a depth  of  3 to  6 feet.  A small  deposit 


12 


PEAT  RESOURCES  OF  IOWA. 


of  peat  also  occtirs  along  the  east  side  of  Eagle  lake. 

Miller  area. — An  unusually  good  deposit  of  peat  occurs  in  a narrow 
slough  one  and  one-half  miles  southeast  of  the  town  of  Miller.  The 
bog  covers  200  acres  and  tested  10  feet  of  clean  vegetable  matter. 

A marsh  is  reported  near  the  northeast  corner  of  Concord  town- 
ship, and  small  bodies  of  peat  also  occur  along  the  east  branch  of  Iowa 
river  between  Miller  and  Hayfield  Junction. 

PEAT  DEPOSITS  IN  CERRO  GORDO  COUNTY. 

Practically  all  of  the  marshes  of  Cerro  Gordo  county  lie  in  the 
west  tier  of  townships.  They  are  surrounded  by  low,  morainic  hills,  20 
to  50  feet  in  height.  They  are  generally  well  drained,  and  contain 
peat  deposits  that  range  from  3 to  15  feet  in  depth.  The  peat  is  uni- 
formly clean  and  solid,  and  appears  to  be  of  excellent  quality. 

Clear  Lake  area. — The  city  of  Clear  Lake  is  situated  in  the  midst 

of  a rich  deposit  of  peat.  In  section  26  of  Clear  Lake  township  an 

ice  formed  embankment1  has  cut  off  a southward  extending  arm  from 
the  main  body  of  the  lake.  Over  this  area  a marsh,  covering  more  than 

80  acres,  occupies  portions  of  sections  26  and  35.  Tests  in  this  bog 

showed  10  to  12  feet  of  black  peat.  A short  distance  further  south  a 
drained  marsh,  250  acres  in  extent,  covers  the  southern  portion  of  sec- 
tion 35  of  Clear  Lake  township  and  section  2 of  Union.  Borings  over 
this  area  showed  a depth  of  5 to  6 feet  of  vegetable  matter.  Still 
further  south  a swamp  covers  300  acres  in  sections  11,  12,  13  and  14 
of  Union  township;  and  another  marsh  about  equal  in  extent  occupies  a 
portion  of  section  24.  The  last  two  bogs  are  fairly  dry  and  contain 
exceptionally  pure  deposits  in  which  tests  showed  solid  peat  12  'feet  in 
thickness.  In  the  southwest  J of  section  23  is  a drained  marsh,  60  to 
80  acres  in  extent,  that  tested  7 feet  of  clean  peat. 

About  one  mile  south  of  Clear  Lake  city,  an  ice  formed  wall  sepa- 
rates another  large  marsh  from  Clear  lake.  From  this  ridge  a bog  ex- 
tends nearly  three  miles  towards  the  southeast,  covering  nearly  600 
acres.  Borings  near  the  north  end  of  this  marsh  indicated  a depth  of  3 
feet  of  vegetable  matter  and  it  is  probable  that  the  thickness  increases 
further  south. 

One  and  one-half  miles  north  of  Clear  Lake  a large  marsh,  400 
acres  in  extent,  occupies  a portion  of  sections  1 and  2 of  Clear  Lake 
township  and  of  sections  34,  35  and  36  of  Grant.  This  marsh  is 
well  drained,  and  contains  a fine  deposit  of  peat  that  tested  5 to  7 
feet  in  depth.  From  the  southwest  J of  section  34  a narrow  slough 
extends  two  and  one-half  miles  towards  the  southwest,  and  contains  a 
good  depth  of  peat.  In  the  west  half  of  section  6,  Clear  Lake  township, 
a marsh,  connecting  with  bogs  in  Hancock  county,  covers  nearly  80 
acres,  and  showed  a depth  of  6 to  10  feet  of  peat.  A smaller  marsh 
in  section  29  of  Grant  township  contains  a good  deposit.  A large 
swamp  covering  400  acres,  in  sections  21,  22  and  27  of  Grant  township, 

*For  an  explanation  of  the  manner  in  which  these  embankments  were  formed  see  Iowa 
Geol.  Survey,  Yol.  YII,  p.  135. 


LOCATION  AND  DESCRIPTION  OF  INDIVIDUAL  MARSHES.  13 


tested  7 to  9 feet  of  vegetable  matter,  and  a smaller  one  of  160  acres, 
in  section  15,  showed  5 feet. 

A marsh  of  200  acres  covers  a portion  of  section  25,  and  contains 
an  excellent  deposit  of  plant  remains,  12  feet  in  depth. 

Near  the  northwest  corner  of  Grant  township  a good  bog  is  reported, 
and  a few  promising  marshes  are  found  further  east  in  the  township 
of  Lincoln. 

Meservey  area. — About  one  mile  northeast  of  Meservey,  a drained 
marsh  covers  60  to  80  acres  in  section  28,  Grimes  township.  Borings 
over  this  area  showed  8 to  9 feet  of  clean,  solid  peat. 

A large  marsh  in  sections  19  and  20  is  tile  drained,  and  tested  7 
feet  of  pure  vegetable  debris.  In  section  3,  a marsh  of  60  acres  showed 
5 to  7 feet  of  peat.  The  peat  deposits  around  Meservey  are  small, 
but  in  quality  they  rank  among  the  best  in  the  state. 

PEAT  AEEAS  IN  WEIGHT  COUNTY. 

Clarion  area. — -About  five  miles  north  of  Clarion  a grassy  marsh, 
lying  partly  in  section  1 of  Lake  township  and  partly  in  section  6 of 
Grant,  covers  nearly  100  acres,  and  contains  clean  vegetable  material 
to  a depth  of  9 feet. 

Small  bodies  of  peat,  a few  acres  in  extent  and  3 to  6 feet  in 
depth,  occur  between  the  above  mentioned  marsh  and  Little  Wall  lake. 
Other  small  marshes  lie  within  a short  distance  north  and  east  of  Cor- 
nelia; while  vegetable  matter  2.  to  3 feet  in  depth  fringes  a portion 
of  the  east  side  of  Elm  lake. 

Dows  area. — One  mile  west  of  Dows  a number  of  disconnected 
swamp  areas,  aggregating  nearly  100  acres,  occupy  portions  of  sections 
27,  34  and  35  in  Blaine  township.  Borings  at  different  points  over  this 
area  showed  4,  8 and  9 feet  of  clean,  almost  dry  peat. 

About  five  miles  southwest  of  Dows  a bog  of  80  acres  has  been 
drained  and,  at  one  time,  put  under  the  plow.  Tests  over  this  marsh 
indicated  5 to  9 feet  of  vegetable  matter. 

Large  marshes  occur  in  the  northeast  of  Wall  Lake  township, 
but  the  peat  is  shallow  and  carries  quite  a large  percentage  of  earthy 
matter. 

MAESHES  OF  FEANKLIN  COUNTY. 

About  two  miles  northeast  of  Dows,  and  conveniently  worked 
with  that  area,  a swamp  of  100  acres  covers  a portion  of  sections  20 
and  28  of  Morgan  township.  It  contains  peat  of  fair  quality,  ranging 
from  5 to  15  feet  in  depth. 

Near  the  north  side  of  Lee  township  a marsh  known  as  the  “Big 
Slough”  covers  several  hundred  acres.  This  area  was  not  tested,  but 
it  is  reported  to  contain  a good  deposit  of  peat. 

PEAT  DEPOSITS  IN  EMMET  COUNTY. 

Armstrong  area. — In  the  southern  portion  of  Iowa  Lake  town- 


14 


PEAT  RESOURCES  OF  IOWA. 


ship  a large  marsh  covers  from  800  to  1,000  acres.  The  area  lies  about 
two  miles  north  of  Armstrong.  It  is  well  drained,  and  contains  a depth 
of  7 to  9 feet  of  clean,  solid  peat. 

MARSHES  IN  PALO  ALTO  AND  CLAY  COUNTIES. 

An  extensive  area  of  marsh  land  lies  about  four  miles  north  of 
Ruthven,  embracing  a portion  of  sections  19,  20,  29  and  30  of  Lost 
Island  township,  in  Palo  Alto  county,  and  of  sections  25  and  26  of 
Lake  township,  in  Clay.  This  marsh  covers  more  than  1,500  acres. 
Tests  over  the  south  end  indicated  about  7 feet  of  vegetable  debris. 

At  the  outlet  of  Lost  Island  lake,  in  Clay  county,  there  is  a marsh 
of  200  to  300  acres  that  contains  peat,  but  on  account  of  the  water  the 
depth  of  the  deposit  could  not  be  ascertained. 

Small  bodies  of  peat  occur  at  the  west  end  of  Elbow  lake  and  Vir- 
gin lake,  in  Palo  Alto  county,  and  a few  small  marshes  are  found 
both  to  the  north  and  south  of  Ruthven. 

GENERAL  STATEMENT. 

The  greater  number  of  the  marshes  mentioned  above  are  almost 
dry.  In  some  cases  no  water  was  reached  at  a depth  of  9 or  10  feet. 
This  dryness  is  partially  due  to  artificial  drainage  and  partly  to 
prevailingly  more  arid  conditions  than  formerly  existed.  Many  of  the 
areas  support  a heavy  growth  of  sedges  and  slough  grass  and  are 
utilized  for  wild  meadow  or  pasturage,  while  a few  have  been  put 
under  the  plow. 

Although  there  is  quite  a wide  range  in  the  character  of  the  peat 
found  in  these  marshes,  the  most  of  it  is  somewhat  fibrous,  brown  in 
color,  and  consists  of  very  pure  vegetable  debris,  with  scarcely  a trace  of 
mud.  It  also  showed  very  little  evidence  of  oxidation  due  to  the  drying 
of  the  bogs  and  the  resulting  exposure  to  the  air. 

The  fortunate  distribution  of  the  marshes  with  reference  to  towns 
is  shown  on  the  accompanying  map.  The  railroad  advantages  of  the 
respective  points  may  be  seen  by  referring  to  the  map  of  the  state  pub- 
lished and  distributed  by  the  Iowa  Railroad  Commissioners. 

Several  million  tons  of  peat  are  accessible  from  Clear  Lake,  Lake 
Mills,  Dows,  Hanlontown  and  Armstrong,  while  important  quantities 
are  convenient  to  the  towns  of  Meservey,  Scarville,  Norman,  North- 
wood,  Forest  City,  Thompson,  Duncan,  Miller,  Clarion  and  Ruthven. 
A railroad  passes  through  each  of  these  towns.  Lake  Mills,  Forest 
City  and  Ruthven  are  supplied  with  two  lines.  Two  branches  also 
connect  at  Dows;  while  an  electric  line  in  addition  to  the  railroad  gives 
to  Clear  Lake  practically  all  of  the  advantages  of  two  lines  of  road. 

USES  OF  PEAT. 

The  uses  to  which  peat  has  been  applied  are  many  and  varied.  It 
has  been  used  extensively  as  a fuel.  It  has  been  burned  into  coke 


USES  OF  PEAT. 


15 


and  charcoal,  and  is  being  successfully  converted  into  gas. 

The  undecayed  upper  portion  of  bogs  furnishes  “moss  litter”  which 
on  account  of  its  high  powers  of  absorption  for  liquids  and  gases,  finds 
a wide  use  as  a deodorizer  and  disinfectant.  When  ground  into  fine 
meal  peat  is  used  for  making  antiseptic  bandages,  and  for  packing 
eggs,  meat  and  fruit.  Peat  dust  has  been  used  as  a substitute  for  char- 
coal in  the  manufacture  of  gunpowder,  and,  when  mixed  with  India 
rubber  and  sulphur,  it  is  used  for  insulating  electric  cables.  Peat  pulp 
is  being  used  in  place  of  straw  and  wood  pulp  in  the  manufacture  of 
paper,  card  board  and  the  coarser  grades  of  paper  board. 

As  a fertilizer  applied  to  sandy  soils,  peat  adds  warmth,  increases 
the  moisture,  and  promotes  the  solubility  of  the  minerals  of  the  soil. 

For  the  people  of  Iowa  the  greatest  interest  will  attach  to  the 
use  of  peat  as  a fuel  and  as  a future  source  of  producer-gas. 

PEAT  AS  A FUEL. 

Peat  burns  with  a short,  yellow  flame  and  intense  heat.  It  burns 
without  scot,  with  little  smoke,  with  no  unhealthful  gases,  and  leaves  no 
clinker.  It  requires  little  draft,  is  easily  ignited  and,  once  lighted, 
will  continue  to  burn  until  all  the  fuel  is  consumed.  It  is  especially 
suited  for  culinary  purposes  because  of  its  cleanliness,  and  on  account 
of  the  fact  that  a peat  fire  quickly  reaches  a high  temperature. 

Peat  is  not  only  a valuable  domestic  fuel,  but,  in  Europe,  in  the 
solid  or  gaseous  form,  it  is  widely  used  in  metallurgical  purposes,  in 
steel  and  glass  furnaces,  for  firing  locomotive  boilers  and  for  generating 
electric  power.  Boilers  using  peat  fuel  are  estimated  to  last  three  times 
as  long  as  those  fired  with  coal. 

The  heating  power  of  unprepared  peat  compared  with  that  oi 
other  fuels  is  given  in  Thurston’s  Elements  of  Engineering  as  follows: 


Table  showing  calorific  power  of  peat  and  other  fuels. 


Fuel. 

Calorific  power. 

Water  vaporized  at 
boiling  point. 
Parts  by  one  part. 

Relative.  J 

! Absolute 
IB.T.U.  per  lb. 

Coal,  anthracite  

1.020 

14, 833 

14.98 

Coal,  bituminous 

1.017 

14, 796 

14.95 

Coal,  lignite,  dry 

0. 700 

10, 150 

10. 35 

Peat,  kiln  dried 

0.700 

10, 160 

10.25 

Peat,  air  dred 

0. 526 

7,650 

7.73 

Wood,  kiln  dried 

0. 551 

8,029 

8. 10 

Wood,  air  dried 

0.  439 

6,385 

6. 45 

From  the  above  table  it  will  be  seen  that  unprepared  peat  has  a 
higher  heating  value  than  wood,  but  is  inferior  to  coal.  The  American 
Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers  estimate  2.5  tons  of  pine  wood  to 
possess  equivalent  heating  power  to  1.8  tons  of  ordinary  air-dried  peat, 
and  to  1 ton  of  anthracite  coal.  The  German  Chemical  Testing  Sta- 
tion of  Berlin  reports  the  fuel  value  of  peat  briquettes  at  13,330  B.  T. 
U.  per  pound.*  The  average  is  probably  about  8000  to  1 1,000  B.  T.  U. 

♦Morrison:  Address  before  the  Nat’l  Association  of  Engineers  The  calorific  value 
of  peat  briquettes,  like  that  of  different  coals,  will  vary  within  wide  limits.  See  Trans. 
Am.  Inst,  of  Mining  Engineers,  Vol.  XXXV,  p.  104,  and  Speoial  Consular  Reports,  Vol. 
XXVI,  p.  116, 


16 


PEAT  RESOURCES  OF  IOWA. 


In  the  countries  of  Europe  peat  has  been  extensively  used  as  a fuel 
for  a very  long  time.  Both  Germany  and  Sweden  produce  2,000,000 
tons  of  peat  each  year,  and  Russia  4,000,000  tons.  In  Scotland  and  Ire- 
land large  quantities  are  annually  consumed.  The  people  of  Holland  pre- 
fer peat  fuel  in  their  brick  yards  and  for  domestic  purposes.  The 
large  bogs  of  Russia  are  owned  by  the  government,  and  permits  for 
working  them  yield  an  annual  revenue  of  $938,000.  Germany  is  said  to 
possess  greater  wealth  in  her  peat  bogs  than  in  her  coal  fields.  In 
Austria  and  Denmark  peat  has  long  been  an  important  article  of  fuel, 
while,  in  recent  years,  large  quantities  of  peat  fuel  are  annually  prepared 
in  the  province  oi  Ontario,  Canada. 

In  the  United  States  the  peat  fuel  industry  has  been  largely 
neglected  on  account  of  the  wide  extent  of  her  coal  fields  and  the  for- 
tunate distribution  of  these  deposits  which  has  made  an  abundance  of 
excellent  fuel  generally  accessible  at  a moderate  cost. 

PREPARATION  OF  PEAT  FOR  FUEL. 

There  are  three  general  methods  of  preparing  peat,  which  result  in 
the  following  forms  of  peat  fuel: 

(1)  “cut  peat”;  (2)  pressed  or  “machine  peat”;  and  (3)  peat 
briquettes. 

CUT  PEAT. 

“Cut  peat”  is  prepared  in  the  simplest  possible  manner  and  forms 
the  poorest  grade  of  peat  fuel.  Blocks  of  crude  material  are  cut  out 
from  the  bog,  dried  in  the  air  and  burned  without  further  treatment. 
One  man  can  cut  about  one  and  one-fourth  tons  of  dry  peat  per  day. 
Six  or  eight  weeks  are  required  for  drying  and,  when  dried  under  the 
most  favorable  conditions,  such  peat  will  still  contain  as  much  as  30 
per  cent  of  water.  The  material  is  so  loose  and  bulky  that  it  is  difficult 
to  fire  properly  into  a stove  or  furnace,  and  the  large  amount  of  water 
in  the  fuel  makes  it  of  low  heating  value. 

On  account  of  its  cheapness  “cut  peat”  is  the  staple  fuel  for  a 
large  number  of  the  poorer  people  of  Europe,  but  it  would  not  prove 
a satisfactory  fuel  to  persons  accustomed  to  burning  wood  or  coal. 

MACHINE  PEAT. 

“Machine  peat”  is  prepared  by  grinding  the  crude  peat  into  a pulp 
while  wet  and  then  cutting;  or  moulding  or  pressing  the  material  into 
blocks.  The  blocks  can  be  dried  in  the  air  in  from  six  to  eight  weeks, 
or  by  artificial  heat  in  a much  shorter  time.  The  grinding  or  macera- 
tion of  the  peat  greatly  facilitates  the  escape  of  moisture  and  causes 
“machine  peat”  to  dry  much  more  perfectly  than  “cut  peat;”  the  blocks 
contracting  to  about  two-thirds  of  their  original  volume.  By  the 
process  of  grinding  a self-binding  property  is  developed  which  causes  the 
blocks  to  become  dense  and  hard  and  practically  waterproof.  Dried 
“machine  peat”  can  remain  out  doors  without  injury  and  be  shipped 
long  distances  without  crumbling. 


PREPARATION  OF  PEAT  FOR  FUEL. 


17 


“Machine  peat”  is  suitable  not  only  for  domestic  use  but  for  almost 
any  purpose  to  which  bituminous  coal  is  applied.  When  air-dried,  it 
contains  15  to  25  per  cent  of  water,*  while  the  water  content  of  Iowa 
coal  varies  from  13  to  19  per  cent.  However,  the  more  perfect  com- 
bustion of  the  peat  and  the  absence  of  soot  in  the  flues  tend  to  offset 
its  disadvantage  as  a fuel  on  account  of  the  larger  amount  of  water 
it  contains. 

During  1903,  the  Swedish  government  conducted  numerous  fuel 
tests  in  locomotive  engines  which  showed  that,  except  for  its  bulkiness, 
“machine  peat”  could  be  fired  in  the  engines  with  as  good  results  as 
English  coal,  and  with  little  more  labor,  and  that  when  mixed  with 
coal  a fire  superior  in  calorific  value  to  either  of  the  fuels  alone  was 
produced. f 

All  of  the  better  classes  of  mills  for  making  “machine  peat”  employ 
much  the  same  principles.  They  consist  of  a hollow  iron  cylinder 
encasing  a set  of  revolving  cutters  for  thoroughly  grinding, 
kneading  and  mixing  the  crude  peat.  Rollers  set  with  screw 
ridges  force  the  material  past  the  cutters  and  out  through  the  nozzle 
in  a long  cylindrical  or  rectangular  rod,  which  is  cut  into  blocks  of 
desired  size. 

Cost  of  mills. — The  Ackerman  machine,  used  extensively  in  Sweden, 
requires  an  18-horsepower  engine  and  the  help  of  15  men.  It  can 
produce  20  to  25  tons  of  “machine  peat”  per  day  at  a cost  of  $1.35 
per  ton,  laborer’s  wages  at  $1.00  per  day.  The  complete  equipment 
of  such  a plant  costs  about  $1,900. 

The  Anrys  or  Anrep  machine,  preferred  in  Russia,  is  built  in  two 
sizes,  the  larger  producing  40  to  60  tons  per  day,  with  38-horsepower 
engine  and  employing  28  men.  This  machine  costs  $1,900,  exclusive 
of  power  plant.  The  smaller  type  produces  20  tons  per  day,  with 
19-horsepower  engine  and  13  men,  and  is  sold  for  $830,  without  power 
plant.  With  these  machines  the  working  costs  per  ton  of  dried  fuel 
are  about  80  cents. 

Another  machine,  coming  into  wide  use  in  Sweden,  is  made  in 
sizes  ranging  in  capacity  from  20  to  40  tons  per  day,  and  costing  from 
$215  to  $675,  exclusive  of  power  plant.  German  machines  are  quite 
similar  to  those  employed  in  Sweden,  and  produce  one:  and  one-half 
to  two  tons  of  peat  fuel  per  man  per  day.  In  Denmark  a plant  of 
65  tons  daily  capacity  is  manufacturing  “machine  peat”  at  a cost  of 
60  cents  per  ton,  with  laborers’  wages  $1.33  per  day.f 

The  Atkinson-Norton  machine,  perfected  and  used  by  Prof.  C.  L* 
Norton,  of  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology,  in  making  tests; 
on  peat,  will  produce  5 to  10  tons  of  “machine  peat”  per  day  with  a 
2-horsepower  motor.  The  machine  alone  costs  about  $75.  The  entire- 
cost  of  a plant  equipped  with  a larger  machine  of  this  type,  having  a 
daily  capacity  of  20  tons,  is  estimated  at  $2,500. 

On  account  of  the  greater  bulkiness  and  somewhat  lower  heating; 

♦Special  Consular  Reports,  Vol.  XXVI.  p.  136.  1903. 

+13th  Report  Ontario  Bureau  of  Mines,  p.  84,  1904. 

JSpecial  Consular  Reports,  Vol.  XXVI,  p,  138.  1903. 


18 


PEAT  RESOURCES  OF  IOWA. 


value  of  “machine  peat”  compared  with  good  coal,  it  is  not  probable 
that  this  form  of  fuel  will  become  widely  used  in  the  state.  It  seems 
certain,  however,  that  a farmer  having  good  peat  deposits  on  his  land 
or,  better  still  to  insure  a wider  demand  for  the  fuel,  a number  of 
men  could  jointly  install  a small  “machine  peat”  fuel  plant,  at  a cost 
of  a very  few  hundred  dollars,  and  by  operating  such  a plant  during 
the  autumn  months  they  could  supply  a local  demand  for  domestic 
fuel  at  a price  very  much  below  that  at  present  paid  for  coal.  While 
this  form  of  peat  is  slightly  inferior  to  good  coal,  yet  it  possesses  a 
higher  heating  value  than  wood  and,  burned  in  peat  stoves,  would 
prove  a satisfactory  and  very  economical  domestic  fuel. 

PEAT  BRIQUETTES. 

Tn  the  more  approved  peat  briquetting  plants  the  peat  is  dug,  pul- 
verized and  spread  by  a mechanical  excavator,  and  is  dried  in  the  air 
to  a water  content  of  30  to  45  per  cent.  The  air-dried  peat  is  then 
passed  through  a disintegrator  in  which  the  fragments  are  beaten  into 
small  bits  and  the  tissues  thoroughly  crushed  in  order  to  facilitate  the 
further  liberation  of  moisture.  This  broken  peat  is  then  conveyed  to 
the  dryer  in  which  it  is  subjected  to  artificial  heat  until  not  more  than 
12  to  15  per  cent  of  moisture  remains.  From  the  drying  pan  it  is 
carried  to  the  hopper  and  cooled,  and  thence  conveyed  to  the  briquetting 
press.  Two  general  types  of  presses  are  in  use;  one  consists  of  an  open 
tube,  and  the  other  of  a closed  die  resting  on  a solid  base.  The  latter 
type  has  proved  the  most  satisfactory.  Pressure  of  11  to  13  tons  per 
square  inch  is  applied,  and  the  resulting  briquettes  are  dense  and  solid, 
and  have  a heating  efficiency  equal  to  the  best  grades  of  Iowa  coal.* 
Peat  briquettes  absorb  moisture  readily  and  hence  must  be  kept  dry. 

In  Holland  the  cost  of  production  of  peat  briquettes  is  from  $2.00 
to  $2.15  per  ton.  At  Welland  and  Beaverton,  Ontario,  peat  briquettes 
are  being  made  for  about  $1.50  per  ton,  and  are  sold  for  $3.50  per 
ton  at  the  works. f At  the  Beaverton  plant  “cut  peat”  was  found  to 
be  a cheaper  fuel  for  use  under  the  boiler  and  dryer  than  good  wood 
at  $1.30  per  cord. 

The  Beaverton  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  successful  peat  bri- 
quetting plants  in  America.  Estimate  of  the  cost  of  the  complete  equip- 
ment of  a peat  fuel  plant,  similar  to  the  Beaverton,  with  a capacity  of 

3.000  tons  of  briquettes  per  year,  running  ten  hours  a day,  or  6,000  to 

7.000  tons  when  working  continuously,  is  furnished  as  follows 


Briquette  press,  die  or  mould  type $ 2,500.00 

Dryer  1,350.00 

Breaker  or  disintegrator  400.00 

Excavator,  including  motor 600.00 

Generator,  tram  car,  motor  and  tracks 1,200.00 

Engine  and  boiler,  50-horsepower  2,000.00 

Shafting,  belts  and  conveyors  700.00 

Buildings  (brick)  1,500.00 

Sundries  200.00 


Total $10,450.00 


•For  the  calorific  value  of  a number  of  Iowa  coals  see  this  Bulletin,  pp  25-27  • and  also 
Iowa  Geol.  Surv  , Vol.  XIV,  p.  371. 

+Uth  Report  Ontario  Bureau  of  Mines,  p.  27,  1904 
tl8th  Report  Ontario  Bureau  of  Mines,  p.  225,  1903. 


PEAT  AS  A SOURCE  OF  PRODU[CEB  -G/.S.  19 

Some  of  the  above  items  could  probably  be  reduced;,  ui  Ahe Tdimate 
may  prove  of  value  as  a guide  to  the  cost  of  a peat  briquetting  plant 
that  has  been  proven  successful  by  years  of  experience.  The  total  cost 
of  a plant  with  a capacity  of  15  tons  per  day,  or  30  tons  working 
night  and  day  shifts,  is  estimated  at  a little  less  than  $>28,000. 

SPECIAL  APPARATUS  FOR  BURNING  PEAT. 

In  making  comparative  tests  between  peat  and  coal  it  is  important 
that  the  peat  should  be  burned  in  a stove  adapted  for  this  fuel.  Peat 
briquettes  are  so  similar  to  coal  that  they  can  be  burned  in  stoves 
suitable  for  using  the  latter.  However,  a screen  should  be  placed 
over  the  grate  to  prevent  waste,  and  care  exercised  in  the  regulation  of 
the  draft.  When  peat  is  used  under  a boiler  the  grate  bars  should  be 
reduced  one-half,  and  both  the  grate  and  the  fire  wall  behind  it  should 
be  raised  closer  to  the  boiler,  than  for  coal,  on  account  of  the  short  flame 
of  burning  peat. 

Special  stoves  have  been  designed  for  burning  “machine  peat”  which 
possess  a heating  efficiency  of  90  per  cent.  The  upper  part  consists 
of  a chamber  into  which  the  fuel  is  stored  and  from  which  it  is  fed 
to  the  fire  automatically  through  a trap  door  at  the  bottom.  The  fire 
box  is  V-shaped,  with  perforated  sides.  Through  these  holes  the  air 
enters  in  such  a way  that  the  draft  is  never  choked  and  there  is  no 
loss  from  unconsumed  fuel.  The  ashes  accumulate  in  the  trough  of 
the  fire  box,  by  shaking  which  they  are  dropped  to  the  pan  below. 
Tests  with  such  stov.es  in  midwinter  showed  that  a continuous  fire  could 
be  kept  for  96  hours  on  46  pounds  of  “machine  peat,”  by  firing  seven 
times  at  intervals  of  twelve  to  fifteen  hours;  an  even  and  suitable  tem- 
perature being  maintained  in  the  rooms  during  the  time.* 

PEAT  AS  A SOURCE  OF  PRODUCER  GAS. 

Prof.  C.  L.  Norton  of  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology, 
says  that  gas  can  be  produced  from  New  England  peat  in  about  the 
same  amounts  and  of  much  the  same  kind  as  that  obtained  from  bitumin- 
ous coal.  He  suggests  that  it  is  as  a source  of  producer-gas  that  we  must 
look  for  the  greatest  development  of  the  peat  fuel  industry.  A test 
of  “machine  peat”  from  a bog  near  Taunton,  Mass.,  gave  4 cubic  feet 
of  gas  with  a calorific  power  of  654  B.  T.  U.  per  cubic  foot,  from 
each  pound  of  peat.1 

The  advantages  of  using  peat  as  a gaseous  fuel  pertain  equally 
to  the  burning  of  coal  gas.2  The  use  of  solid  peat  fuel  involves  a loss 
of  25  to  30  per  cent  of  heat,  which  heat  loss  may  be  reduced  as  low  as 
15  per  cent  by  first  converting  the  peat  into  gas  and  then  burning  the 
gas. 

In  the  iron  and  steel  industry  peat  gas  is  preferred  above  coal  gas 
®n  account  of  its  greater  freedom  from  sulphur  and  phosphorus.  It  is 
also  coming  into  extensive  use  as  a fuel  for  steam  boilers. 

*12th  Report  Ontario  Rureau  of  Mines,  p.  227,  1903. 

Ilf orton:  Report  No.  XV.  on  Bog  Fuel.  Insurance  Engineering  Exp’t  Station  p.  10  1904 
See  this  bulletin,  pp.  87  and  38 


PEAT  RESOURCES  OF  IOWA. 


20 

' 1 1! ’has 'fen 'found  that,  for  industrial  purposes,  by  locating  the 

power  plant  at  the  bog,  peat  can  be  converted  into  gas  and  the  gas 
used  as  a fuel  more  economically  than  solid  peat,  for  the  reason  that 
“cut  peat” — the  cheapest  kind  of  peat  fuel — can  be  successfully  converted 
into  gas  without ‘any  previous  treatment.  The  peat  gas  can  be  con- 
veyed through  pipes  to  the  place  of  consumption,  or  it  may  be  con- 
verted into  electrical  energy  and  transmitted  in  that  form  to  more 
distant  points.  In  such  plants  the  cost  of  fuel  has  been  estimated  at  only 
one-ninth  of  a cent  per  horsepower  per  hour.1 

Tests  on  the  fuel  value  of  peat  gas  made  by  the  Merrifield  genera- 
tor from  “cut  peat”  fuel  showed  an  average  of  about  135  B.  T.  U. 
per  cubic  foot  of  gas. 

Cost  of  gas  plants. — With  regard  to  plants  for  the  production  of 
peat  gas  the  following  estimate*  is  made:  one  ton  of  compressed  peat 
analyzing  approximately:  moisture  15  per  cent,  ash  7 per  cent,  fixed  car- 
bon 21  per  cent,  and  volatile  matter  57  per  cent,  will  yield  not  less  than 
100,000  cubic  feet  of  fixed  gas,  carrying  not  less  than  150  B.  T.  U.  per 
cubic  foot.  Peat  carrying  up  ta30  per  cent  of  water  may  be  used,  but  the 
yield  of  gas  will  be  reduced  about  1,000  cubic  feet  for  every  additional 
1 per  cent  of  moisture.  Complete  apparatus  and  material  for  equip- 
ping such  a plant,  producing  not  less  than  20,000  cubic  feet  of  gas 
per  hour,  will  cost  about  $5,000. 

THE  PEAT  INDUSTRY  IN  IOWA. 

Little  has  been  done  towards  utilizing  the  peat  deposits  in  our  state. 
Small  quantities  of  “cut  peat”  have  been  burned  at  Lake  Mills,  Ruthven, 
Meservey  and  a few  other  points. 

At  Dows,  Iowa,  the  Iowa  Fuel  and  Brick  Company  has  been 
preparing  peat  fuel  in  a small  way  for  the  past  two  years.  In  1904 
several  tons  of  “cut  peat”  were  taken  from  the  bog,  while  during  the 
past  year  they  have  been  doing  pioneer  work  in  the  manufacture  of 
“machine  peat”  fuel.  The  process  they  follow  consists  in  mixing  and 
pressing  the  crude  peat  in  a brick  machine  and  drying  the  bricks  in  the 
air.  The  dried  blocks  are  quite  dense  and  do  not  crumble  when 
handled.  About  75  tons  of  peat  fuel  have  been  prepared  in  this  way 
during  the  past  summer. 

Mr.  Henry  Lemke,  of  Dows,  the  secretary  of  the  company,  esti- 
mates the  cost  of  preparation  of  peat  bricks  in  the  present  condition  of 
the  plant  at  $2.50  per  ton,  but  he  feels  confident  that  the  expense  can 
be  reduced  to  $1.50  per  ton,  or  less.  He  states  that  there  is  a good 
demand,  at  $3.00  per  ton,  for  all  the  peat  bricks  they  can  produce;  that 
people  who  once  use  them  for  fuel  always  come  back  for  more. 

CONCLUDING  REMARKS. 

It  is  not  expected  that  the  peat  fuel  industry  will  immediately  be 
developed  in  Iowa  on  a large  scale.  It  will  require  time  for  the  people 

Special  Consular  Reports,  Vol.  XXVI,  p.  140,  1903. 

*12th  Report  Ontario  Bureau  of  Mines,  p.  231,  1903. 


CONCLUDING  REMARKS. 


21 


to  become  assured  that  peat  fuel,  even  at  the  cheaper  cost  of 
production,  can  be  more  profitably  burned  than  coal.  It  is  possible,  too, 
that  peat  may  only  become  popular  as  a fuel  in  that  portion  of  the 
state  remote  from  coal  supplies  and  where  deposits  of  peat  are  abund- 
ant. 

Doubtless  the  vegetable  matter  in  the  various  marshes  will  differ 
very  materially  with  regard  to  its  suitability  'for  successful  manufacture 
into  a good  grade  of  peat  fuel.  It  would  be  wise  to  have  thorough 
tests  and  analyses  made  of  any  deposit  be.fore  attempting  to  exploit  it 
commercially.  Peat  samples  for  tests  and  analyses  should  be  sent  to  the 
State  Geologist,  Dr.  Frank  A.  Wilder,  at  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  who  will 
see  that  proper  tests  are  made  and  the  results  of  the  same  reported. 
Prof.  C.  L.  Norton  of  the  Institute  of  Technology,  Boston,  Mass.,  will 
also  test  keg  samples  of  peat,  sent  by  freight  prepaid  to  the  above 
address,  and  report  on  the  quality  of  the  peat,  and  to  what  extent  it  is 
adapted  for  being  worked  in  the  common  types  of  “machine  peat”  mills. 

Until  the  use  of  peat  fuel  becomes  pretty  well  established,  it  is 
probable  that  small  peat  manufacturing  plants  located  at  a number  of 
favorable  points  will  prove  more  successful,  in  Iowa,  than  those  of 
large  capacity  and  very  expensive  equipment. 

There  seems  no  reasonable  doubt  that  the  time  will  come  when 
prepared  peat  fuel  will  become  an  important  article  of  manufacture  in 
the  state;  and  that  the  hitherto  neglected  peat  deposits  of  northern 
Iowa  will  prove  a source  of  domestic  fuel  but  little  inferior  to,  and 
even  less  expensive  than,  the  fuel  supply  in  what  we  have  been  ac- 
customed to  consider  the  more  favored  portions  of  our  state.  Neither 
is  it  impossible  that  cities  like  Clear  Lake,  Lake  Mills,  Armstrong 
and  Dows,  convenient  to  large  peat-bearing  marshes,  may  yet  the  most 
economically  obtain  their  supply  of  heat,  light  and  power  from  plants 
that  convert  peat  fuel  into  producer-gas. 


Note— Inasmuch  as  large  sums  of  money  have  been  practically  wasted  in  recent  years 
through  the  formation  of  companies  to  utilize  peat  beds,  it  would  be  wise  for  intending 
operators  to  confer  with'thosein  Canada,  who  have  a thorough  knowledge  of  the  practical 
manipulation  of  peat,  before  investing  in  a stock  company  to  exploit  untried  patent  pro- 
cesses or  new  appliances.  This  office  will  be  glad  to  render  all  possible  assistance  with 
regard  to  determining  adaptability  of  deposits  for  fuel  purposes,  methods  of  working 
peat,  cost  of  machinery,  etc. 


REPORT  ON  THE  TESTS  OF  IOWA  COALS  MADE 
BY  THE  GOVERNMENT  COAL -TESTING 
PLANT  AT  THE  LOUISIANA  PURCHASE 
EXPOSITION,  ST.  LOUIS,  MO.,  1904. 

BY 

T.  E.  SAVAGE. 


PRELIMINARY  STATEMENT. 

An  act  of  congress  making  appropriations  for  the  fiscal  year  1905, 
which  was  approved  February  18,  1904,  contained  an  item  which  pro- 
vided for  the  analyzing  and  testing  of  the  coals  and  lignites  of  the 
United  States  in  order  to  determine  their  fuel  values  and  the  most 
economic  method  for  their  utilization.  These  tests  were  to  be  conducted 
at  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  Director  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey.  One  of 
the  provisions  of  this  law  was  that  all  coal  offered  for  testing  purposes 
should  be  furnished  to  the  testing  plant  at  St.  Louis  free  of  cost  to 
the  Government. 

The  coal-testing  plant  was  equipped  with  standard  apparatus,  and 
with  the  most  approved  and  accurately  calibrated  instruments  for  mak- 
ing steaming  tests,  washing  tests,  coking  tests,  briquetting  tests  and 
producer-gas  tests, besides  chemical  analyses  and  calorimetric  determin- 
ations. 

The  above  act  for  the  first  time  made  it  possible  for  coal  from  all 
of  the  coal  fields  of  our  country  to  be  brought  to  a single  well  equipped 
plant  and  be  put  through  an  elaborate  and  expensive  series  of  tests; 
and  that,  too,  under  absolutely  uniform  conditions  and  by  the  same 
corps  of  trained  experts  whose  position  guaranteed  the  greatest  ac- 
curacy of  work  and  a true  and  impartial  statement  of  results.  From 
such  a series  of  tests  the  adaptability  of  the  coal  from  any  mine  or 
coal  field  for  a particular  purpose  can  be  determined,  and  the  coal 
intelligently  used  in  the  way  in  which  its  highest  efficiency  may  be 
secured.  The  comparative  fuel  value  of  the  coal  of  different  states 
can  also  be  ascertained  as  never  before. 

A preliminary  report  on  the  work  done  by  this  coal-testing  plant 
during  1904  has  been  recently  published  by  the  United  States  Geological 
Survey,  as  Bulletin  No.  261.  The  descriptions  of  the  several  tests 
and  the  tables  of  results  which  appear  on  the  following  pages  were 
taken  from  that  report. 

SECURING  THE  SAMPLES. 

The  Director  of  the  Iowa  Geological  Survey  recognized  at  once 
the  value  such  a series  of  tests  would  be  to  the  coal  operators  of  the 


SECURING  THE  SAMPLES. 


23 


state  as  well  as  to  every  user  of  coal.  He  early  made  arrangements  to 
co-operate  with  the  United  States  Survey,  and  to  have  a number  of 
samples  of  Iowa  coal  tested  at  the  Government  plant.  He  selected  and 
secured  the  donation  of  five  car  loads  of  coal  from  as  many  important 
mines  in  Iowa,  and  through  the  generosity  of  the  railroad  companies 
he  was  able  to  deliver  four  of  these  lots  of  coal  to  the  testing  plant 
at  St.  Louis  without  any  charges  for  transportation.  The  freight  on  the 
fifth  car  was  paid  by  the  Iowa  Survey. 

Below  is  given  a list  of  the  Iowa  operators  who  donated  a car  load 
of  coal  for  testing  purposes,  the  grade  of  coal  provided  by  each,  and 
the  number  and  location  of  the  mine  from  which  the  sample  was 
taken. 


Name  of 
sample. 

Operator. 

Mine. 

Location. 

Grade  of 
coal. 

Name  of  bed 

Iowa  1 

Anchor  Coal  Co. , 
Ottumwa,  la. 

No  2 

Laddsdale,  la. 

Over  inch 
screen. 

Middle  bed. 

Iowa  2 

Mammoth  Vein 
Coal  Co. , 
Hamilton,  la. 

No.  5 

Liberty  Twp., 
Marion  Co.,  Ia. 

Ran  of  mine. 

Big  vein. 

Iowa  3 ..... 

Gibson  Coal 
Mining  Co. , 
De9  Moines,  la. 

No.  4 

Near  Altoona, 
Polk  Co.,  la. 

Over  ys  inch 
screen. 

Third  vein. 

Iowa  4 

Centerville  B.ock 
Coal  Co.. 
Centerville,  la. 

No.  3 

Centerville, 
Appanoose  Co  , 
la 

Over  \%  inch 
screen. 

Cower  bed. 

Iowa  5 

Inland  Fuel  Co. , 
Chariton,  la. 

No.  1 

Chariton, 

Lucas  Co. , Ia. 

Run  of  mine. 

Lower  bed. 

COLLECTING  THE  SAMPLES. 

The  writer  accompanied  the  representative  of  the  United  States 
Geological  Survey  in  supervising  the  loading  of  the  car  lots  of  coal 
that  were  sent  to  St.  Louis  from  Iowa,  and  in  securing  the  samples 
from  the  mines  'for  chemical  analysis.  Care  was  taken  in  each  case  to 
obtain  coal  for  testing  purposes  that  represented  as  near  as  possible  the 
actual  output  of  the  mine. 

From  each  of  the  mines  from  which  a car  of  coal  was  shipped  to 
be  tested,  two  samples  were  taken  for  chemical  analysis.  These  samples 
were  obtained  from  points  in  the  mine  quite  widely  separated.  They 
were  cut  from  the  full  section  of  the  working  faces  of  the  seam  mined 
at  the  time  the  car  was  loaded,  and  were  immediately  sent  to  the  St. 
Louis  laboratory  by  mail  in  air-tight  cans.  The  two  coal  samples  that 
were  collected  at  the  mine  for  chemical  analysis  are  referred  to  in  the 
tables  which  follow  as  “mine  sample  A”  and  “mine  sample  B”  respec- 
tively. 

As  each  car  load  of  coal,  sent  to  the  plant  for  testing,  was  unloaded 
at  St.  Louis,  a third  sample  was  taken  for  chemical  analysis  which 


24 


RESULTS  OF  IOWA  COAL  TESTS. 


represented  the  coal  actually  contained  in  the  car  to  be  tested.  This 
sample  is  designated  in  the  following  tables  as  the  “laboratory  car 
sample.” 

As  the  coal  was  distributed  to  the  testing  divisions  samples  were 
taken  at  frequent  intervals,  quartered  down,  and  analyzed.  In  this 
way  at  least  six  separate  samples  from  each  car  of  coal  were  obtained 
at  the  plant,  and  two  at  the  mine. 

CHEMICAL  ANALYSES  AND  CALORIMETER  DETERMINATIONS  OF 
THE  IOWA  COALS  TESTED. 

Proximate  analyses  were  made  on  each  sample  of  coal  taken  and 
an  ultimate  analysis  was  made  on  each  car  sample.  Calorimeter  deter- 
minations were  made  on  one  mine  sample  and  also  on  each  car  sample. 
It  is  safe  to  say  that  such  a series  of  coal  analyses  has  never  before  been 
obtained. 


METHODS  OF  ANALYSIS 

“The  methods  employed  in  the  coal  analyses  were  essentially  those 
recommended  by  the  committee  of  the  American  Chemical  Society. 
The  moisture  was  determined  by  drying  the  weighed  sample  for  one 
hour  in  an  air  bath  at  105°  C.  The  calorific  value  was  determined 
in  the  Mahler  bomb  calorimeter.  The  actual  value  of  the  result  in 
the  calorimeter  was  corrected  for  the  sulphuric  acid  formed  in  the 
bomb. 

In  calculating  the  calorific  value  from  the  ultimate  analyses  the 
calorific  value  of  hydrogen,  carbon,  and  sulphur  was  taken  as,  respec- 
tively, 34,460,  8,080  and  2,250  calories.” 

The  results  of  the  analyses  of  the  “mine”  and  “laboratory  car” 
samples,  and  of  the  calorimeter  determinations  appear  in  the  accompany- 
ing tables. 


CHEMICAL  ANALYSES  OF  IOWA  COALS  TESTED. 


Analyses  of  mine  and  laboratory  car  samples  of  coal. 


Iowa  No.  1. 


Loss  of  moisture  on  air  drying 

Analysis  of  air-dried  sample. 

. ( Moisture 

g ! Volatile  matter  

^ 1 Fixed  carbon 

~ l J Ash 

® f I Sulphur . 

«3  | Hydrogen 

S { Carbon 

2 I Nitrogen 

£>  ^ Oxygen 

Calorific  value  determined : 

Calories.  

British  thermal  units  

•Calorific  value  calculated  from  ulti- 


Mine  sample 


7.90 


3.74 
41.96 
42. 89 
11.41 
5.12 


6, 843 
12,317 


Mine  sample 


8.00 


4.43 
40. 52 
41.65 
13.40 
5.  42 


Laboratory  car 
sample. 


3. 20 


5.21 
31.76 
48. 51 
16.  52 
5. 20 
4. 61 
61. 80 
0. 97 
10. 90 

6,  329 
11,392 


mate  analysis: 

Calories 

British  thermal  units 


6, 230 
11,214 


Analysis  corrected  to  sample  as  received 


. f Moisture  

§ ! Volatile  matter 

u j Fixed  carbon 

^ M Ash.  

® f 1 Sulphur.  

g | Hydrogen 

§ ■{  Carbon  

2 I Nitrogen 

E>  l Oxygen 

Calorific  value  determined : 

Calories.  

British  thermal  units 

Calorific  value  calculated  from  ulti- 
mate analysis : 

Calories 

British  thermal  units 


11.35 
38. 65 
39.49 
10. 51 
4.72 


12.07 
37. 28 
38. 32 
12. 38 
4.99 


6, 303 
11,345 


8.24 
30. 74 
45. 02 
15. 00 
5. 03 
4.81 
59.82 
0. 94 
13. 40 

6,126 
11,  027 


6,031 

10,856 


win 


26  RESULTS  OF  IOWA  COAL  TESTS. 

Analyses  of  mine  and  laboratory  car  samples  of  coal — Continued. 


Iowa  No.  2. 


Mine 

Mine 

Labora- 

Mine 

Mine 

Labora- 

sample 

sample 

tory  car 

sample 

sample 

tory  car 

B. 

A. 

sample. 

B. 

A. 

sample. 

Iowa  No. 


Loss  of  moisture  on  air  drying.. 
Analysis  of  air-dried  sample. 


. [ Moisture 

g ) Volatile  matter 
u ; Fixed  Carbon . . . 

LJ  Ash 

® n Sulphur . 


Hydrogen 

S Carbon 

5 Nitrogen 

[D  l Oxygen 

Calorific  value  determined : 

Calories 

British  thermal  units  . . . 
Calorific  value  calculated  from 
ultimate  analysis : 

Calories 

British  thermal  units 


Analysis  corrected  to  sample  as 
received. 


. f Moisture 

g I Volatile  matter 
»h  ) Fixed  carbon.  .. 
^ l ( Ash 


® f l Sulphur 

os  [ Hydrogen 

S -{  Carbon  . 

I Nitrogen 

L Oxygen 

Calorific  value  determined : 

Calories 

British  thermal  units 

Calorific  value  calculated  from 
ultimate  analysis : 

Calories 

British  thermal  units 


9. 30 


7.00 
40. 65 
89.52 
12. 83 

5.  49 


6, 302 
11,844 


15  65 
36.87 
85.  84 
11.64 
5. 10 


6,716 
10, 239 


,50 


40.82 
42.  40 
10.15 
5. 74 


15.60 

86.94 

38.37 

9. 19 

6.19 


) 9.60 

i 5.33 

! 4182 

l 40.69 

> 12.16 

) 6.52 

i 

11. 00 

5.61 
42.04 
8 55 
13. 90 
7. 59 

i 

f 6, 589 

1 11,770 

14.42 

37.81 
36.78 
10  99 
5. 89 

15.90 
37.42 
31. 41 
12. 87 
6. 76 

5,911 

10,640 

9.80 


4.62 
40. 96 
38.99 
15. 53 
6.83 
4. 98 
60.62 
0. 93 
11.16 


11. 


6, 271 
11,288 


13.88 
36.94 
85  17 
14.01 
6. 15 
6 53 
54.68 
0. 84 
18. 80 

6, 891 
10, 244 


6, 656 
10, 181 


CHEMICAL  ANALYSES  OF  IOWA  COALS  TESTED, 


27 


Analyses  of  mine  and  laboratory  car  samples  of  coal — Continued. 


Iowa  No.  4. 

Iowa  No,  5. 

Mine 

sample 

B. 

Mine 

sample 

A. 

Labora- 
tory car 
sample. 

Mine 

sample 

B. 

Mine 

sample 

A. 

Labora- 
tory car 
sample. 

Loss  of  moisture  on  air  drying.. 

9. 40 

8.80 

4.50 

9. 40 

7. 10 

6.80 

Analysis  of  air-dried  sample. 

. f Moisture 

8.53 

8. 25 

10.03 

10. 26 

12. 37 

9. 22 

39. 12 

38. 23 

37. 27 

35. 10 

36. 98 

32. 71 

u 1 Fixed  carbon 

44. 55 

41.40 

41.22 

46.12 

42. 95 

44. 52 

1 Ash 

7.80 

12. 12 

11. 43 

8.53 

7. 70 

13.  55 

® f I Sulphur 

4.  42 

5. 21 

4. 46 

2.64 

3. 34 

3.42 

6 31 

6.35 

S CarboiT 

61.25 

59. 89 

2 1 Nitrogen 

0.  94 

1.22 

Jd  ^Oxygen 

16. 56 

16. 57 

Calorific  value  determined  : 

Calories 

6, 703 

6,237 

6,442 

6,105 

British  thermal  units 

12,065 

11,837 

11, 596 

10, 989 

Calorific  value  calculated  from 

ultimate  analysis  : 

Calories 

6, 165 

6,045 

British  thermal  units 

11,097 

10,881 

Analysis  corrected  to  sample  as 

received. 

. ( Moisture 

17.13 

16.14 

14.08 

18.69 

18.  69 

15.89 

g 1 Volatile  matter 

35.44 

34. 94 

85.59 

81.80 

34. 36 

30. 49 

u } Fixed  carbon 

40. 86 

37.84 

39.  37 

41.78 

39.90 

41.49 

^ t i Ash 

7.07 

11.08 

10. 96 

7.73 

7.15 

12. 63 

® r ( Sulphur 

4.00 

4. 76 

4.  26 

2.39 

3. 10 

3. 19 

a 1 Hydrogen 

5 67 

6.74 

S -{  Carbon 

68.49 

55.81 

S3  j Nitrogen 

0.90 

1.14 

£3  [ Ox v gen 

19.83 

21.49 

Calorific  value  determined  : 

Calories  

6,073 

6,957 

5, 836 

6,690 

British  thermal  units 

10,931 

10,723 

10, 505 

10,242 

Calorific  value  calculated  from 

ultimate  analysis  : 

Calories 

5, 888 

5, 634 

British  thermal  units 

10, 598 

10, 141 

28 


RESULTS  OF  IOWA  COAL  TESTS. 


For  purposes  of  comparison  with  the  Iowa  coals  there  are  given 
below  the  analyses  of  two  samples  of  Illinois  coal  and  two  samples 
from  Missouri. 

Analyses  of  mine  and  laboratory  car  samples  of  coal — Continued. 


Illinois  No. 


Illinois  No.  6. 


Mine 

sample 

A. 


Mine 

sam 

B. 


Labora- 
tory car 
sample. 


Mine 

sample 

A. 


Mine 

sample 

B. 


Loss  of  moisture  on  air  drying, 


1 50 


2.70 


5.60 


4.00 


Labora- 
tory car 
sample. 


Analysis  of  air -dried  sample. 


j f Moisture 

o j Volatile  matter 

£ i Fixed  carbon 

. I < Ash 

* ( l Sulphur 

es  j Hydrogen 

S ■{  Carbon 

2 I Nitrogen 

t>  L Oxygen  . . . 

Calorific  value  determined  : 


6.00 

32.16 

54.49 

7.26 

1.00 


6.63 
34. 93 
61.78 
7.67 
2.  OS 


Calories 6, 986 

British  thermal  units 12,585  

Calorific  value  calculated  from 


ultimate  analysis  : 


Calories 

British  thermal  units 


5 90 
3J.  29 
62. 16 
11.59 
1.77 
4.92 
67.  30 
1.43 
12.99 

6,724 
12, 103 


9. 84 
38.86 
44  96 
8.34 
3.82 


6, 483 
11,669 


10. 35 

35. 35 
42  91 

11.36  , 
8. 95 


6.13 
32.68 
47. 46 
14.73 
4.45 
4.88 
60.61 
1.23 
14.20 

6,199 
11, 158 


6, 615 
11, 907 


6, 059 
10, 906 


Analysis  corrected  to  sample  as 
received. 


^ f Moisture 

o f Volatile  matter 
£ ) Fixed  carbon . . . 

I J Ash 

® f 1 Sulphur 

os  j Hydrogen 

S Carbon 


7.60 

7.34 

31.68 

34. 29 

53.67 

50.84 

7.15 

7.63 

0. 99 

2 04 

H | Nitrogen 

D l Oxygen 

Calorific  value  determined : 

Calories 6,881 

British  thermal  units  — 12, 336 

Calorific  value  calculated  from 
ultimate  analysis : 


Calories 

British  thermal  units 


8. 60 

14. 89 

13. 94 

29.47 

34. 80 

33  93 

50.75 

42.44 

41.22 

11.23 

7. 87 

10. 91 

1.72 

3.61 

8.79 

6. 09 

65. 48 

1.39 

15.04  

6, 642  6, 120 

11,776  11,016 


6, 436 
11,585 


14.43 
29.48 
42.81 
13.  28 
4. 01 
6. 49 
54. 59 
1.11 
31.52 

5, 591 
10, 064 


5, 465 
9, 837 


CHEMICAL  ANALYSES  OF  MISSOURI  COALS  TESTED.  29 


Analyses  of  mine  and  laboratory  car  samples  of  coal — Continued. 


Missouri  No.  2. 

Missouri  No, 

, 4. 

Mine 

sample 

A. 

Mine 

sample 

B. 

Labora- 
tory car 
sample. 

Mine 

sample 

A. 

Mine 

sample 

B. 

Labora- 
tory car 
sam 

Loss  of  moisture  on  air  drying. 

6.20 

5.00 

2. 60 

7.40 

6. 00 

7. 70 

Analysis,  of  air-dried  sample. 


Jl 


a. 


Moisture 

Volatile  matter 
Fixed  Carbon... 
Ash 

Sulphur 
Hydrogen 
Carbon  ... 


9. 10 

8. 31 

41.07 

38. 47 

41.53 

42. 00 

8.30 

11.22 

4. 04 

4.03 

Nitrogen 

P L Oxygen  

Calorific  value  determined : 

Calories 

British  thermal  units 

Calorific  value  calculated  from 
ultimate  analysis : 

Calories 

British  thermal  units 


6,625 

11,925 


9.14 

6.42 

4.86 

34. 53 

40. 73 

43.74 

39. 02 

45.  39 

44. 86 

17.31 

7.  46 

6.  54 

5.30 

5. 46 

5.32 

4. 96 

56.26 

0.99 

15.19  

6, 806  6, 962 

10,451  12,632 


5,  719 
10, 294 


5. 39 
44.91 
44. 47 
5.  23 
5.55 
5. 77 
72.45 
0.75 
10. 25 

7, 516 
13, 529 


7,526 
13, 547 


Analysis  corrected  to  sample  as 
received. 


M f Moisture  ...  

o j Volatile  matter  

£ j Fixed  Carbon 

I j Ash 

J f ) Sulphur 

«s  j Hydrogen 

8 < Carbon 

5 j Nitrogen 

£>  t Oxygen • 

Calorific  value  determined : 

Calories 

British  thermal  units 

Calorific  value  calculated  from 

ultimate  analysis 

Calories 

British  thermal  units 


14.74 

12.90 

38.  68 

36.54 

38. 95 

89. 90 

7.78 

10. 66 

8. 79 

3.83 

6,214 

11,185 


11.50 

13. 34 

10.57 

33. 63 

37. 72 

41.11 

38. 01 

42. 03 

42.17 

16.86 

6.91 

6. 15 

5. 16 

5. 06 

5. 00 

5. 12 

54. 79 

0.96 

17.11  

5,655  6,447 

10,179  11,605 


5,570 

10,026 


12.67 
41.45 
41.05 
4. 83 
5. 12 
6.18 
66. 87 
0.69 
16.31 

6,937 
12, 487 


6, 946 
12, 503 


A careful  comparison  of  the  above  tables  shows  that  the  average 
per  cent  of  sulphur  contained  in  the  Iowa  coal  samples  is  4.67,  and  the 
same  figures  represent  the  per  cent  of  sulphur  in  the  coals  of  Missouri. 
The  average  amount  of  ash  present  in  the  Missouri  samples  is  a little 
less  than  that  in  the  Iowa  coal  samples.  The  six  samples  of  Illinois 
coal  contained  on  the  average  a slightly  smaller  per  cent  of  sulphur  than 
the  coals  of  Missouri  and  a somewhat  larger  percentage  of  ash.  It 
would  seem  that  for  domestic  purposes  the  coal  of  these  three  states 
should  rank  about  equal  in  value. 

It  will  be  noticed,  also,  that  the  calorific  value  of  the  Iowa  coals 
compares  very  favorably  with  the  coals  of  Missouri  and  Illinois,  yielding 
on  the  average  6,144  calories  and  11,066  British  thermal  units. 


WASHING  TESTS. 


The  washing  apparatus  at  the  World’s  Fair  coal-testing  plant  con- 
sisted of  a New  Century  jig  and  a modified  Stewart  jig.  The  former 


30 


RESULTS  OF  IOWA  COAL  TESTS. 


is  designed  for  washing  finely  pulverized  material,  while  the  latter  will 
successfully  wash  coal  composed  of  pieces  up  to  one  and  one-half  inches 
in  diameter.  The  modified  Stewart  jig  gave  good  satisfaction,  and 
seems  very  well  adapted  to  most  kinds  of  coal. 

Charges  of  Iowa  coal  for  coking  tests  were  first  washed,  and 
the  results  of  this  process  appear  in  the  following  analyses: 

Iowa  No  i. — Lump  and  fine  coal  'from  mine  No.  2,  Anchor  Coal 
Company,  Laddsdale,  Iowa. 

About  five  tons  of  this  coal  were  washed  for  a coking  test,  but  the 
coal  was  not  tried  in  a raw  condition,  and  consequently  the  coking  test 
affords  no  clue  to  the  improvement  made  by  washing.  The  change  is 

shown  by  the  chemical  analyses. 

Analyses  showing  effect  of  washing  Iowa  No.  I coal. 


Car  sample. 

Washed  coal 
for  coking. 

Ash 

16.0 

10.25 

Sulphur 

5.03 

4.61 

Iozua  No.  2.  — Run-of-mine  coal  from  mine  No.  6,  Mammoth  Vein 
Coal  Company,  Hamilton,  Iowa. 

About  5^  tons  of  coal  were  washed  for  a coking  test.  The  reduc- 
tion of  impurities  effected  by  washing  was  not  great,  as  shown  by  the 
following  analyses: 


Analyses  showing  effect  of  washing  Iowa  No.  2 coal. 


Car  sample. 

Washed  coal 
for  coking. 

Ash 

15.22 

10.28 

Sulphur 

4.66 

3.93 

Iowa  No.  3. — Lump  coal  from  mine  No.  4,  Gibson  Coal  Mining 
Company,  Altoona,  Iowa. 

About  4I  tons  of  this*coal  were  washed  for  a coking  test.  The 
improvement  in  the  quality  of  the  coal  effected  by  washing  is  shown  in 
the  following  analyses: 

Analyses  showing  effect  of  washing  Iowa  No.  3 coal. 


Car  sample. 

Washed  coal 
for  coking. 

Ash 

14.01 

8.03 

Sulphur 

6.15 

4.55 

WASHING  TESTS. 


81 


Iowa  No.  4. — Lump  coal  from  mine  No.  3,  Centerville  Block  Coal 
Company,  Centerville,  Iowa. 

A charge  consisting  of  about  4^  tons  of  this  coal  was  washed  for 
coking  purposes.  The  results  were  not  so  satisfactory  as  those  obtained 
on  other  samples  from  this  state.  The  analyses  are  given  below: 
Analyses  showing  effect  of  washing  Iowa  No.  4 coal. 


Car  cample. 

Washed  coal 
for  coking. 

Ash 

10.96 

7.14 

Sulphur 

4.26 

3.59 

Iowa  No.  5. — Run-of-mine  coal  from  m ine  No.  1,  Inland  Fuel  Com- 
pany, Chariton,  Iowa. 

A charge  consisting  of  nearly  5 tons  of  this  coal  was  washed  for  a 
coking  test,  but  the  coal  did  not  coke,  although  the  washing  was  fairly 
successful  in  reducing  the  impurities,  as  shown  by  the  following 
analyses : 

Analyses  showing  effect  of  washing  Iowa  No.  5 coal. 


Car  sample. 

Washed  coal 
for  coking. 

Ash 

12.63 

3.19 

7.93 

2.28 

Sulphur 

samples  No.  3 and  No.  5.  In  the  former  the  ash  was  reduced  6.98  per 
cent,  and  the  amount  of  sulphur  was  lowered  1.60  per  cent.  In  some 
samples  the  improvement  by  washing  was  slight. 

The  removal  of  impurities  from  coal  by  means  of  washing  is  ac- 
complished by  the  sorting  action  of  water  upon  particles  fairly  uniform 
in  size,  but  differing  in  their  specific  gravity.  In  some  states  there  is 
a growing  practice  on  the  part  of  the  operators  to  wash  their  coal, 
especially  that  which  is  to  be  burned  into  coke.  The  cost  of  washing 
does  not  exceed  6 or  7 cents  per  ton. 

It  is  possible  that  some  of  the  Iowa  coal  would  be  sufficiently 
improved  by  washing  to  make  that  process  profitable.  For  most  pur- 
poses it  would  be  very  desirable  to  reduce  the  sulphur  content  of  the 
coal  as  low  as  possible.  The  efficiency  of  washing  in  accomplishing  this 
result  depends  largely  upon  the  form  in  which  the  sulphur  of  the  coal 
exists,  and  whether  this  undesirable  constituent  is  disseminated  through 
the  coal  in  a finely  divided  condition. 


In  Iowa  coal  the  sulphur  commonly  occurs  either  in  the  form  of 
gypsum  (hydrous  calcium  sulphate)  or  as  pyrite  or  marcasite  (iron  disul- 
phide). The  specific  gravity  of  coal  is  variable,  but  is  somewhat  less 
tfcan  1.5.  That  of  gypsum  is  abmit  2.31,  while  that  of  iron  disulphide 


32 


RESULTS  OF  IOWA  COAL  TESTS. 


is  about  4.95.  It  will  be  seen  that  as  pyrite  and  marcasite  have  a density 
so  much  greater  than  that  of  coal  they  can  be  much  more  readily  sepa- 
rated from  it  by  washing  than  can  gypsum  whose  specific  gravity  is 
more  nearly  equal  to  that  of  coal  itself.  In  any  event  the  tests  show 
that  the  benefits  from  washing  would  differ  greatly  at  different  mines. 

COKING  TESTS. 

The  coking  tests  at  the  Government  testing  plant  were  made  in 
ordinary  bee-hive  ovens  of  standard  shape  and  size,  12  feet  in  diameter 
and  7 feet  high.  Before  being  charged  into  the  oven  the  coal  was 
passed  through  rolls  which  reduced  it  to  particles  one  and  one-half 
inches  in  diameter  or  less,  and  then  washed  as  above  stated. 

The  general  results  of  these  tests  are  given  below: 

Iowa  No.  1. — Lump  and  fine  coal  from  mine  No  2,  Anchor  Coal 
Company,  Laddsdale,  Iowa. 

In  this  test,  as  in  all  those  on  Iowa  coals,  the  charge  was  of  washed 
coal.  The  charge  weighed  9,500  pounds,  and  after  burning  46  hours 
yielded  4,828  pounds  of  coke  and  572  pounds  of  breeze  and  ash.  The 
coke  was  brittle,  with  cracks  lengthwise  and  crosswise  through  it.  It 
was  also  high  in  sulphur  and  ash. 

Iowa  No.  2. — Run-of-mine  coal  from  mine  No.  5,  Mammoth  Vein 
Coal  Company,  Hamilton,  Iowa. 

The  charge  in  this  test  consisted  of  10,000  pounds  of  washed  coal, 
which  was  burned  for  64  hours.  The  coke  (3,866  pounds  with  1,153 
pounds  of  breeze  and  ash)  was  all  in  small  pieces  sintered  together  and 
with  no  bond. 

Iowa  No.  3. — Lump  coal  from  mine  No.  4,  Gibson  Coal  Mining 
Company,  Altoona,  Iowa. 

The  charge  in  this  test  consisted  of  8,000  pounds  of  washed  coal, 
which  was  burned  for  43  hours.  It  yielded  3,336  pounds  of  fine- 
fingered, brittle  coke  that  was  high  in  sulphur  and  ash,  and  585  pounds 
of  breeze  and  ash. 

Iowa  No.  4. — Lump  coal  from  mine  No.  3,  Centerville  Block  Coal 
Company,  Centerville,  Iowa. 

The  coke  produced  in  this  test  was  of  the  same  general  character  as 
that  obtained  from  Iowa  No.  3,  except  that  it  was  not  quite  so  high  in 
either  sulphur  or  ash.  The  charge  consisted  of  8,000  pounds  of  washed 
coal,  which  was  burned  for  40  hours,  producing  3,722  pounds  of  coke 
and  426  pounds  of  breeze  and  ash. 

Iowa  No.  4. — Run-of-mine  coal  from  mine  No.  1,  Inland  Fuel  Com- 
pany, Chariton,  Iowa. 

The  result  of  this  test,  made  on  9,000  pounds  of  washed  coal  and 
burned  66  hours,  was  a mixture  of  unburned  coal,  charred  coke,  and  ash. 

All  of  the  Iowa  coals  tested  are  too  high  in  sulphur  to  produce  blast- 
furnace coke,  and  as  the  sulphur  occurs  largely  as  gypsum  it  can  not  be 
removed  by  washing.  The  ash  is  also  high  in  relation  to>  the  fixed 
carbon. 


BRIQUETTING  TESTS. 


38 


The  accompanying  table  presents 
a comparison  of  the  chemical  com- 
position of  the  washed  coal  and  of 
the  coke  burned  from  the  same  in 
each  of  the  above  tests. 

This  table  shows  that  from  an 
average  charge  of  8,900  pounds  of 
coal  only  3,150  pounds  of  coke  was 
produced.  This  represents  a yield 
for  the  coal  of  less  than  36  per 
cent  of  coke,  and  more  than  6 per 
cent  of  ash  and  breeze  or  fine  coke. 
This  coke,  too,  was  of  a rather  in- 
ferior quality.  The  better  grades 
of  West  Virginia  coal  yielded  70 
per  cent  of  coke  and  only  2 to  4 
per  cent  of  breeze  and  ash.  The 
average  yield  of  coal  in  coke 
throughout  the  United  States  is 
about  60  per  cent. 

Since  the  tests  reported  above 
were  made  coals  quite  like  the  Iowa 
product,  which  failed  in  the  earlier 
tests,  have  been  coked  with  a fair 
degree  of  success.  Other  tests  will 
be  made  and  there  is  still  ground 
for  hope  that  commercial  coke  may 
be  made  from  Iowa  coal. 

BRIQUETTING  TESTS. 

“One  ton  of  lump  coal  from 
mine  No.  3 of  the  Centerville 
Block  Coal  Company,  Centerville, 
Iowa,  was  briquetted  with  7 per 
cent  of  pitch  as  a binder.  The  bri- 
quettes were  well  pressed,  of  a 
grayish  color,  but  on  cooling  crum- 
bled decidedly.  They  weighed  6.73 
pounds  each.  As  they  did  not  con- 
tain an  excess  of  pitch,  7 tons  more 
of  this  coal  were  briquetted  with 
8 per  cent  of  pitch,  in  order  to  have 
a sufficient  quantity  for  a steam 
test.  The  resultant  briquettes  were 
bluish-black  in  color,  but  they  were 
not  quite  hard  enough,  although 
fairly  strong,  and  would  stand 
considerable  hard  treatment  in 


Iowa  No. 
Iowa  No. 
Iowa  No. 
Iowa  No. 
Iowa  No. 

Sample, 

JO  to 
co  bo  00  00  oo 

Per 
ct. . 

Mois- 

ture. 

G 

CO  CO  CO  CO  CO 
«<i  p p jyi 

Voli 

tile 

mat 

ter 

of 

g. 

O Cn  00  CO 

-a  rf*.  i-» 

. Y few 

0 

4^COCOCC4^ 

r*  f7*  F'  ir* 
*<icooo««^o 

Per 

ct. 

Fixed 

car- 

bon. 

9 

O 

O 

B 

•3 

0 

CD 

00  p p 
COh-OJNStO 
03  03  00  CH 

Per 

ct. 

Ash. 

G 

0 

9 

Mp3  4*.  03 

Ox  CH!C  03 
ootocnoji-* 

Per 

ct. 

'g'm 

3 S 
3 . 

O 

9 

joooooSo 

0000  01 
00000 
00000 

Pounds. 

Amount 
charged  in 
oven. 

03  it*  !(>.  05 
050CDIMS 

Hours. 

Coking  time. 

! coco® 

! -Qcooooo 

. toco OiW 

• M05COUO 

o- 

CO 

Amount  pro- 
duced. 

' ‘Ot 

. tooocn-q 

" OSOICJ3M 

O' 

Co 

Breeze  and 
ash. 

10.53 

5.73 

13.05 

Per 

ct. 

Mois- 

ture. 

i M 

Voli 

tile 

mat 

ter. 

G 

9* 

t§5S  ■ 85 

i 

o’ 

9 

a 

. 

; cop;  © 
. h-»  ^ • co 

0 CD  • CO 

Per 

ct. 

Fixed 

car- 

bon. 

Coke 

1— • 1 — » I ►-* 

; J—  O • ^ 

be  co* 

CO  ►—  • 

Per 

ct. 

Ash. 

0 

B 

*3 

O 

CD 

• CO 

CO  01  • 00 
-a  -1  • CO 

Per 

ct. 

Sul- 

phur 

<r*- 

o" 

a 

loo'  • 

; II' 2 

Per 

ct. 

Phos- 

phor. 

us. 

• H* 

: 888:  3 . 

1 

Specific  grav- 
ity. 

60.7 

88.7 

41.7 
46.5 

Per  cent,  pro- 
duced. 

Very  brittle 
Sintered. 
Fine  finger* 
Do. 

Charred  coJ 

® P-  ‘ 
9 

3 

& 

9 

■ 

p* 

i 

5 

ur 

_ta 

Table  showing  results  of  coking  tests. 


84 


RESULTS  OF  IOWA  COAL  TESTS. 


transportation.  In  burning  they  held  together  until  consumed.  They 
weighed,  on  an  average,  6.77  pounds  each.  The  eggettes  made  from 
this  same  mixture  were  stronger  than  the  briquettes,  had  a polished 
surface,  but  were  very  brown  in  color.  In  the  cook  stove  they  burned 
very  satisfactorily,  crumbling  but  little.” 

Steam  tests  wTere  made  on  these  briquettes  under  the  boilers  of 
the  Government  testing  plant,  which  showed  that  every  3.8  pounds  of 
the  briquettes  would  furnish  one  horsepower  of  energy  for  one  hour. 
The  briquetting  test  is  especially  interesting  to  the  coal  operators  of 
Iowa  inasmuch  as  it  indicates  that  the  fine  waste  material,  that  is 
usually  lost  at  the  mines,  can  be  successfully  briquetted  and  placed  on 
the  market  as  a good  quality  of  fuel.  It  also  demonstrates  that  about 
8 per  cent  of  the  pitch  or  tar  is  necessary  to  furnish  the  desirable  bond 
to  the  briquettes. 

! 

STEAM  TESTS. 

Steam  tests  were  made  on  each  of  the  five  samples  of  Iowa  coal, 
and  also  on  the  briquettes  of  the  Centerville  coal  above  described.  The 
method  of  conducting  these  tests  and  of  reporting  the  results  was  in 
accordance  with  the  standard  approved  by  the  American  Society  of 
Mechanical  Engineers.  The  tests  were  made  with  Hein  water- tube 
boilers  and  Allis  Corliss  engine,  generating  electrical  energy  through  a 
Bullock  240-volt  generator. 

Some  of  the  most  important  results  of  the  tests  of  the  Iowa,  Illinois 
and  Missouri  coal  samples  appear  in  the  'following  table. 


STEAM  TESTS 


35 


Iowa  No.  1 

Iowa  No.  2 

Iowa  No.  8 

Iowa  No.  4 

do 

Iowa  No.  5 

Illinois  No.  1 

Illinois  No.  2 

Illinois  No.  3 

Illinois  No.  4 

— do 

Illinois  No.  6 

Missouri  No.  1 .. 

Missouri  No.  2 

Missouri  No.  3 

Missouri  No.  4 

Name  of  sample. 

Nut,  dull  

Nut,  very  dirty 

Nut,  dull 

Mine  run,  dull 

Large  briquettes 

Nut,  medium  bright 

Nut,  dull 

Slack,  dull,  washed 

Nut,  dull 

Lump,  dull 

Nut,  dull 

Mine  run,  dull 

Nut,  dull 

Nut,  dull  

Nu<3.  dull 

Coal : size,  "and  condition. 

w © ^ o p w p oo  m 55  ^ & w 

H-©pD©©©©l~3^QtOOOOOfO-q-3QD 

Per  ct. 

Fixed  carbon. 

Chemical  composition. 

^tpCOCCOOCGCCCOOOCOCOOOCOOOGOCO 

l-4l-*OOaOCO**tf>‘f-4^©<<10X©>—  COO 
©OOOOOOf-4**-UO©-Q»— ‘0>OCOtf^O*00 

Per  ct. 

Volatile  matter. 

f-*  HHHHH 

#^©©©00©U0~C»i—  o*©»—  >f^oo**oo«o 

Per  ct. 

Moisture. 

WHHHMHhMHmHHMHM 

^ © pt  CO  tO  p*  © 00 

to  OOCO^C^OH-^rf*  !-*©*©  CO 
© — ©©OOCJt©CJ«C&©©H-*CrtC*»*^»4*- 

Per  ct. 

Ash. 

|J^Mi^|^W^f-‘h-CO^WpOO*p5*.p5 

woo©ooi*.oowcrcasi*.©©’©©-qco 

00CJltC-5000SQDO05OC0Ol*».~?C0C0 

Per  ct. 

Sulphur  (separately 
determined). 

1— * HMM  H-4 

ojojopjoopoojoooopfo© 

©©©©©©©I-4©  ©©©©©©© 

oooioo©tOt«^co«qcoooco©cot>yto 

Hours. 

Duration  of  trial. 

COOHjDOO®  ooS  Ppoopo 
CTaoa>-qco-qc»m©»-‘ro«oc>so5coao 
i-i*oiosif>.oiai05®MOp®aiooo3 
cnoo©~icc©-q-3a.i*~o©cnoo05r— 

Lbs. 

Total  coal  consumed. 

MmMMmhI-iMMIOMHMHHI-1 

t-‘^©©©CD-a©l-‘f-‘OOOOTOO<®CD 

(»».©OO^I^-aj«©©J— 

H-blM4^COao©C&ttf4».-3btOJCO-3-‘3 

Horsepower  developed  by 
boiler. 

tOtStOMtStai-'tOJNOtONtClOfcStetO 

OpOlMJWWjpr-tOjkWH'pCBWCO 

©00©GOCOh-iOOtOOS®lO>-*©©t>3W 

»^tn©©ip.co+»«)©©«)i-‘t\3©ooco 

Lbs. 

Dry  coal  burned  per 
square  foot  of  grate  sur- 
face per  hour. 

oooo©©ife.6aco©©»awi^.h-‘©©M 
00  to  00  MO-S-^K.OMOOSMMOlll. 

Lbs. 

Equivalent  evaporation 

from  and  at  212°  F.  per 
pound  of  dry  coal. 

u^puucoupcsuppu^^w 

tOOOtOeNODOOOOO»ejl®~300©©©<0 

©OitO~qi«c£>COfO>*».tN3“a©aocOI-‘f-‘ 

Lbs. 

Dry  coal  per  indicated 
horsepower  hour. 

©©©n^-^oo-3  05Koo©-^®©©go 
©OCOc^tOOCCi^OOCnOTOr—  "^WtS 

Lbs. 

Dry  coal  per  electrical 
horsepower  hour . 

Results  of  coal  tests  under  boiler , 


86 


RESULTS  OF  IOWA  COAL  TESTS. 


From  this  table  it  appears  that  when  burned  under  the  boilers 
at  St.  Louis  the  Iowa  coals,  on  the  average,  yielded  energy  sufficient 
to  maintain  a horsepower  for  one  hour  for  each  3.9  pounds  of  fuel 
consumed.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  average  of  the  four  samples  of 
Missouri  coal  also  required  3.9  pounds  to  furnish  one  horsepower  of 
energy  for  one  hour — practically  the  same  quantity  as  the  Iowa  coal. 
For  the  six  samples  of  the  Illinois  coal,  the  average  weight  of  coal 
burned  per  horsepower  hour  was  a little  more  than  3.7  pounds.  Of 
the  Pennsylvania  and  West  Virginia  coals  there  were  required  about 
3 to  3.1  pounds  to  yield  one  horsepower  hour  of  energy. 

PRODUCER-GAS  TESTS. 

Among  the  notable  and  important  facts  brought  out  by  the  Govern- 
ment coal  tests  at  St.  Louis,  none  have  a greater  economic  bearing  than 
those  connected  wTith  the  tests  of  producer-gas.  It  was  demonstrated 
that  bituminous  coal,  such  as  is  produced  in  Iowa,  can  readily  be 
converted  into  gas  and  that  when  this  gas  is  burned  in  a gas  engine 
it  yields  from  two  to  two  and  one-half  times  as  much  energy  as  could 
be  obtained  from  burning  the  same  coal  under  a boiler.  The  same 
statement  is  true  of  the  lignites  of  North  Dakota,  Indian  Territory 
and  Texas. 

The  tests  were  made  using  a Taylor  (R.  D.  Wood  & Co.)  producer, 
and  a Westinghouse  triple-cylinder,  vertical  gas  engine  of  235  brake 
horsepower,  operating  a Westinghouse  240-volt  generator. 

The  results  of  the  producer-gas  tests  on  all  of  the  Iowa  coal 
samples  are  not  at  present  available,  but  those  on  the  Mammoth  Vein 
sample,  from  Hamilton,  Iowa,  appears  in  the  following  table  with  those 
of  representative  samples  from  other  states.  This  table  embodies  a com- 
parative summary  of  some  of  the  results  of  the  coal  tests  in  the  genera- 
tion of  power  (1)  by  the  boiler  and  steam  engine,  and  (2)  in  the 
producer  and  gas  engine. 


4 


i 


i * 


•Coal  actually  consumed  in  producer  only. 

•{•This  is  fuel-bed  surface  in  producer  and  not  strictly  grate  surface.  , ^ „ , . , . .. 

|ln  gas-producer  plant  this  includes  the  coal  consumed  in  the  producer  and  the  coal  equivalent  of  the  steam  used  in  operating  the  producer. 
§ Gas-producer  hopper  leaked  during  these  tests. 


PRODUCER— GAS  TESTS. 


37 


O £.g  |g  S S-S-g-g-g  g s g 

Is  S “ ®S.b 

WcrqwagoQiwiwjzp  o ® £ o ° 2Z 

tzSp  ts  tap  p g o ST  M **  - - - - 


50  s»  SB  P t»  SO 

>3  3 3 3 354: 

O Q O O ° 9 • 


tt  «o  00  -3  I-1  • 


; o o ; 

: Vq<«  . 


: 33; 

. o o • 


& 

UH  HM  »— * H H H M H 2 

Oop®OOffl®OffiOO®OOpOOO  §■ 
®i-*0®t->0®®o'®  ®M-ai-‘®Ol-*®b  05 

WWOOOOOOOuOO-^OtOMO'WSwMaJMUi 

Steam 

plant. 

Duration 

of  trial. 

§ 

CCWtOMM  10  MMHMCO  MCSMtCl^  2 
pOj^f-Cipi^^pwMMr-KippOpW  S 

0000  05  00  CO  00030500050  0 00  to 
0000— jooojooco— 100— 50000 

Gas-pro- 

ducer 

plant. 

t*  r*  b 

0-3<I»1*:l-5*500000®(»*q®®®00*500  O' 
«JHu5  05  03-<ail-‘00«l»»0\'IWOU05M-J  to 
Oi«H ‘OOIO®^  to-Jtn  w®  10  O0  00i—«wu— 

Steam 

plant. 

Total  dry  coal 
consumed  per 
hour.  * 

rfx  Ctf  fcC  CO  to  to  CO  CO  CO  CO  CO  JO  CO  CO  CO  CO  CO  CO  00  H 
h-CKioiow- ijjooc>j^oo^i^oo»^CR^oy 
apoowp  oooij-*oo  O' 

Gas-pro- 

ducer 

plant. 

0i^^00000000y._H-Ow^r--C0piLNJa07-^»-*  g 

OtO&-3-3l-*©CO©«<JOilO©>~*C7*COh-‘lOOOCN  6© 

^OOOOt^^'OOl^OCnTOOO^^l^^CCOCO©^ 

Steam 

plant. 

Dry  coal  burned 
per  square  foot 
of  grace  surface 
per  hour.  + 

joooaoaiOw^oovi-scsoo^o^oo^iTS  b 

OiOWWffl'eMOOOSXOifflHOOlAOl*?  to 
OtO05N00050505«MU«— 5«OCWC*00O5l— ‘0500 

Gas-pro- 

ducer 

plant. 

O' 

©xopoeoopo^joooe^j^jpooopo^ioo^ioo  • 

®®OO®ffl®OM»O0iaiOiA.MOKIW 
WO®MOIWOlM*5UOWlj(i*»MOI'lit»l-  tn 

Steam 

plant. 

Water 
evaporat- 
ed from 
and  at  212° 
F.  per  lb. 
of  dry  coal 

1— » 1— * K—t  1 — 1 1— ‘ t— • 1 — ■ I—*  1 — 1 1 — 1 ‘ 1 — ‘ i — ■ 1—*  i — » 1 — 1 1 — * >— * i — • 

OpI*.jf ».**.*.**.  GO  H-*  OJ  tO  tOOO  tO  CO  tO  tO 

OOi-*05*».COOf-‘ejtO»— rf».000rf».co>*.0ccncn 
®<!M0JOO®OM*.®l5  0)01'l0t0l^«l 
Moao>cn«iooo®S-5Mif»i*<i®-Q<ioi 

Steam 

plant. 

British  thermal 
units  per  pound 
of  dry  coal 
used. 

i — * i—*  i — • i— • !—» i — 1 1 — » i — » i— » »— » >—•  i— » »— • *-^i  i — » i— » »— » i — » 

O **  *>- _>K h^popopj-‘p 0 j_C  05  t®  OijJO  CO 

Oiooe*c*<»coa9aocon!».!f<.co(f».cooaoor®c» 

®«tO**-CHOOOOOOtOOS000  010l03CO*-Kf*-CT> 
05^.00000  M®tOO)K®  to. CM  CO  -5  w-  h-  CU  C7I 

Gas-pro- 

ducer 

plant. 

ooooooi-®ooi-ooo«s)m®®Ki- 
60  pi  oo  » JO  05  p\  00  to  p t*-.  to  J-»  p W 00  00 

ootaooioiGa®’®®owooiM-'|,J-5 

Steam 

plant. 

Electrical  horse- 
power delivered 
to  switchboard. 

©©©CO<©CO©SD©©©CO©©SOtOsO©© 
J-i^COjQ^OpOOO  © © ©OOCDpp 

tobooo©h-»^I^©b?4*c^cw©©©^©to© 

Gas-pro- 

ducer 

plant. 

b 

^ pi  0»  p*  C&  Ce  Os  *n  Os  *»  *>. -fc^  •*«.  O* 

iopt^pCnCJiVCotacob'blOCQKiOoC^OoO 

<scoojci9|i^tsoc9tsc«cji*»t>.cn0»0'fc''e'0o 

Steam 

plant. 

Total  dry  coal 
per  electrical 
horsepower 
per  hour,  j 

b 

*<5>,  to? 

^ClC)00O5®NSiCi*S««««tsl5ll5sOHOKijN 

Gas-pro- 

ducer 

plant. 

• ® OQ  <rf  P jr»-j  ►*  ® o 

2 £ O 2 9 H. 


Comparative  summxry  of  the  leading  results  of  the  coil  tests  mide  under  the  boiler  and  in  the  gas  producer. 


38 


RESULTS  OF  IOWA  COAL  TESTS. 


The  two  columns  in  italics  are  directly  comparable,  and 
the  figures  are  worthy  of  the  most  thoughtful  consideration.  The  Iowa 
coal  sample  was  found  to  yield  2.86  times  as  much  energy  when  con- 
verted into  gas  and  the  gas  burned  in  a gas  engine  as  when  the  coal 
was  fired  directly  under  the  boiler.  For  the  nineteen  samples  named  in 
the  table  the  amount  of  coal  consumed  per  horsepower  per  hour  by  the 
boiler  plant  was  on  the  average  2.57  times  that  used  in  the  gas  pro- 
ducer plant. 

The  above  results  have  great  economic  significance.  Probably  more 
than  three-fourths  of  the  coal  mined  in  Iowa  is  used  for  the  generation 
of  power.  This  would  make  4,880,740  tons  of  coal  consumed  in 
power  production  out  of  the  total  of  6,507,655  tons  mined  in  Iowa 
during  1904.  Disregarding  the  difference  in  cost  of  installation  and 
operation  of  machinery,  and  with  the  very  conservative  estimate  of  50 
per  cent  gain  in  efficiency  of  coal  by  means  of  the  gas  producer  and 
gas  engine  above  that  of  the  boiler  and  steam  engine,  the  saving  by 
the  former  method  would  be  equal  to  2,440,370  tons  of  coal.  This 
at  $1.60  per  ton,  which  was  the.  average  price  at  the  mines  of  Iowa 
coal  in  1904,  would  be  equivalent  to  an  annual  saving  to  the  people 
of  the  state  of  $3,904,592. 

For  18  samples  of  coal  from  12  different  states  the  average  composi- 
tion of  the  gas  by  per  cent  of  volume  was  as  follows:  carbon  dioxide 
10.08,  oxygen  22,  carbon  monoxide  15.45,  hydrogen  9.59,  marsh  gas 
5.50  and  nitrogen  59.13. 

In  conclusion  it  should  be  said  that  the  Government  has  provided 
for  continuing  the  coal-testing  wrork  that  was  begun  at  St.  Louis  last 
year,  and  arrangements  are  being  made  by  the  Iowa  Geological  Survey 
to  have  tests  made  on  a number  of  other  samples  of  Iowa  coal. 


INDEX 


PAGE. 

Ackerman  peat  machine 17 

Altamont  moraine 8 

Anrep  peat  machine 17 

Armstrong,  peat  marshes  near 13,  14 

Beaverton  peat  briquetting  plant, 18 

estimated  cost  of 18 

Briquettes  from  centerville  coal 33 

steam  tests  on 34.  35 

Briquette*,  peat 18 

cost  of  production  at  Beaver- 
ton   18 

cost  of  production  in  Hol- 
land  18 

method  of  manufacture 18 

per  cent  of  water  in 18 

Calorific  value  of  Centerville  coal 27 

Chariton  coal 27 

Gibson  coal 26 

Illinois  coals 28 

Laddsdale  coal 25 

Mammoth  Vein  coal 26 

Missouri  coals 29 

Centerville  coal,  briquetting  tests  on 33 

calorific  value  of 27 

chemical  analyses  of  27,  33 

coking  tests  on 32,  33 

donated 28 

steam  tests  on 35 

washing  tests  on.  . 31 

Cerro  Gordo  county,  peat  marshes  in . . . 12 

Chariton  coal,  calorific  value  of 27 

chemical  analyses  of. . 27,  33 

coking  tests  on 32,  33 

donated  28 

steam  tests  on 35 

washing  tests  on 31 

Obemioal  analyses  of  Centerville  coal  27,  • 

83,  85 

Chariton  coal.  27, 83,  35 
Gibson  coal.. 26,  83,  35 

Illinois  coals 28,  85 

Laddsdale  coal  . 25,  83 

35, 

Mammoth  Vein 

coal 26,  33,  85 

Missouri  coals.  ..29,  85 
Chemical  composition  of  coke  from 

Centerville  coal 33 

Gibson  coal  33 

Laddsdale  coal ....  33 

Clarion,  peat  marshes  near 13 

Clay  county,  peat  marshes  in 14 

Clear  Lake,  peat  marshes  near 12 

Coke,  average  yield  from  coal  in  U.  8..  33 
Iowa  coal  — 33 

Coking  tests  on  Centerville  coal 32,  33 

Chariton  coal 32,  33 

Gibson  coal 32,  33 

Laddsdale  coal 32,  33 

Mammoth  Vein  coal.  32,  38 


PAGE. 

Comparative  table  of  coal  and  coke 33 

of  moss,  wood,  peat 

and  coal 6 

Conditions  of  peat  accummulation 6 

‘ ‘Cut  peat” 16 

amount  of  water  in 18 

preparation  of.....,...’ 16 

use  in  Europe 16 

Distribution  of  peat  marshes  in  Iowa 8 

Dows,  peat  marshes  near 13 

peat  fuel  manufactured  at 20 

Dryness  of  Iowa  peat  marshes 14 

Duncan,  peat  marshes  near 14 

Emmet  county,  peat  marshes  in 13 

Forest  City,  peat  marshes  near 11 

Franklin  county,  peat  marshes  in 13 

Fuel  value  of  coal 15 

“cut  peat” 16 

“machine  peat” 17,  18 

peat  briquettes 15,  18 

wood 15 

Gibson  coal,  calorific  value  of 26 

chemical  analyses  of..  26,  33 

coking  tests  on 32,  33 

donated 28 

mining  company 23,  30,  32 

steam  tests  on 35 

washing  tests  on 30 

Hancock  county,  peat  marshes  in 11 

Iowa  Fuel  and  Brick  Company 20 

Kanawha,  peat  marshes  near 11 

Laddsdale  coal,  calorific  value  of 25 

chemical  analyses  of  25,  83 

coking  tests  on 82,  83 

donated 28 

steam  tests  on 35 

washing  tests  on. 80 

Lake  Mills,  peat  marshes  near 10 

Lakes,  origin  of  basins 7 

process  of  filling 7 

Lemke,  Henry,  cited 20 

“Machine  peat”  fuel 16 

compared  with  coal 17 

cost  of  production  of 17 

manufactured  in  Iowa 20 

mills,  cost  of 17 

preparation  of 16 

water  in 17 

Mammoth  Vein  coal,  calorific  value  of.  26 
chemical  analyses  of.  25,  33 

coking  tests  on 32,  33 

donated 28 

washing  tests  on 31 

Meservey,  peat  marshes  near 13 

Miller,  peat  marshes  near 12 

Moraine,  Altamont 8 

Norman,  peat  marshes  near 10 


PAGE. 


PAGE. 


Northwood,  peat  marshes  near 10 

Norton  O.  L.,  cited  19,  21 

on  peat  gas 19 

Palo  Alto  county,  peat  marshes  in  — 14 

Peat  as  a source  of  producer-gas 19 

basins,  origin  of  7 

briquettes ...  18 

cost  of  production  at 

Beaverton,  18 
in  Holland  18 

pressure  on  18 

water  in 18 

calorific  power  of 15 

fuel,  advantages  of 15 

compared  with  coal 15 

wood 15 

kinds  of 16 

preparation  of 16 

gas  fuel,  value  of 19,  20 

cost  of  plant 20 

industry  in  Iowa 20 

marshes,  dryness  of 14 

in  Cerro  Gordo  county  8,  12 

Clay  county 9,  14 

Emmet  county 9,  13 


Franklin  county 9,  13 

Hancock  county  — 8,  11 

Palo  Alto  county 9,  14 

Winnebago  county. . 8,  10 


Worth  county 8,  9 

Wright  county 9,  13 

near  Armstrong ..13 

Clarion 13 

Clear  Lake 12 

Dows 13 

Duncan 11 

Forest  City 11 

Kanawha 11 

Lake  Mills 10 

Meservey 13 

Miller  12 

Norman 10 

Northwood 9 

Ruthven 14 

Scarville 10 

Thompson 11 

quantity  estimated  in  Iowa 8,  9 

stoves,  heating  efficiency  of 19 

uses  of 14,  15 

Producer-gas. 19,  37,  88 

composition  of 38 

from  peat 19,  20 

fuel  value  of 19 

table  of  results  of  tests  on  37 

Ruthven,  peat  marshes  near. 14 

Scarville,  peat  marshes  near 10 

Steam  tests  * 34 

average  results  of 36 

method  of  conducting 34 

on  briquettes  from  Centerville. 

coal 34,  35 


on  Centerville  coal 35 

Chariton  coal 35 

Gibson  coal 35 

Illinois  coals 85 

Laddsdale  coal 85 

Mammoth  Vein  coal 35 

Missouri  coals 35 

table  of  results  of 85 

Sulphur  in  Iowa  coals 81,  32 

removal  by  washing 81,  82 

from  Centerville  coal 81 

Chariton  coal 81 

Gibson  coal 80 

Laddsdale  coal 80 

Mammoth  Vein  coal  30 

Tests,  briquetting  33 

on  Centerville  coal S3 

coking  on  Centerville  coal 32,  33 

Chariton  coal 82,  83 

Gibson  coal 82,  88 

Laddsdale  coal 32,  32 

Mammoth  Vein  coal..  82,  83 

producer- gas 36 

on  Mammoth  Vein  coal.  37 
table  showing  results  of  37 

steam 34 

method  of  making 84 

on  briquettes  of  Centerville 

coal 35 

Centerville  coal 86 

Chariton  ooal 35 

Gibson  coal 35 

Illinois  coals 85 

Laddsdale  coal  85 

Mammoth  Vein  coal  — 83 

Missouri  coals  85 

table  showing  results  of..  85 

washing 29 

method  of  making 29 

on  Centerville  coal 81 

Chariton  coal 31 

Gibson  coal 80 

Laddsdale  coal 80 

Mammoth  Vein  coal 80 

Uses  of  peat 14,  15 

Washing  coal,  cost  of 81 

removal  of  impurities 

by 81,  82 

tests  on  Centerville,  coal 81 

Chariton  coal 81 

Gibson  coal 80 

Laddsdale  coal 30 

Mammoth  Vein  coal 80 

White,  Ohas.  A.  on  Iowa  peat  marshes..  5 

Wilder,  Frank,  A.  cited 21 

Winnebago  county,  peat  marshes  in 10 

Wood,  L.  H. , cited 5 

Worth  eounty,  peat  marshes  in 9 


Wright  county,  peat  marshes  in 13 


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